


My First Kiss with Your Mother

by DarkPhoenixGoddess10



Series: Anne and Richard: Inspired by Fairy Tales [11]
Category: The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 03:49:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 44,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1804210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPhoenixGoddess10/pseuds/DarkPhoenixGoddess10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve year-old Edward York was sent home for trying to kiss a girl, Catalina. Fearing his son growing up too fast, Richard told his son the story of his first kiss…with his mother.</p><p>Inspired by Grimm's Fairy Tale "Mother Hulda".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Son, let me tell you a story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wetbellamyblake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wetbellamyblake/gifts).



Twelve year-old Ned York grumpily waited in the school lobby as his father appeared to pick him up. By the look from his father, Ned knew there’d be a long talk.

What happened at school today was awkward but memorable. Most teenagers would’ve called it the happiest day of their lives.

Ned York had his first kiss.

The girl was a Spanish exchange student named Catalina. Ned wasn’t even the one who initiated the kiss. Catalina was merely showing him how people “greet” each other in Spain. A kiss was merely a friendly gesture.

But not in American schools.

The teacher caught them when Ned and Catalina in the classroom. Both of them got detention and the school called his father, Richard York.

“Hi Dad,” Ned greeted after he saw Richard walked out of the school principal’s office.

“Let’s go,” Richard said.

Wordlessly, Ned followed Richard to his car. Father and son were silent on their way home.

***

After they got home, Ned went straight to his room. Lying on the bed, he had his door closed and stared at the ceiling.

The boy did not understand why the school system took that incident so seriously.

Maybe he and Catalina should elope to Spain!

As he was lost in a train of thoughts, he heard door knocks.

“Come in,” he said.

Richard walked in and pulled a chair and sat. “Young man, you and I need to have a conversation.”

“Dad—“

“No, we need to talk about this.”

“Fine,” Ned sat up. “It’s no big deal, Dad. Catalina says people in Spain and in Europe greet each other with kisses on the cheek. She showed me and I greeted her back. The teacher is exaggerating!”

“Ned,” Richard said. “Do you like this girl Catalina?”

Ned bit his lips and then looked away. “Yeah, I like her. She’s cute.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Ned said and looked at Richard. “Dad, I’m telling you this: one day Catalina and I will get married and divide our time between US and Spain.”

Richard laughed.

“Dad, that’s not funny!”

Richard stopped laughing and told his son, “Ned, you are way too young to think of marriage. You may like the girl, but true love and marriage…Trust me, it’s not that simple.”

“Really?” Ned was not convinced. “When’s the first time you kissed Mom?”

“Ned, let me tell you a story,” Richard began.

“Oh great, is this part of my punishment?” Ned asked.

“Yes, it is,” Richard said with a grin. “When I first kissed your mother…”

***

_It all started when your Uncle Ed met your Aunt Liz, a widowed mother of two boys. Aunt Liz’s family owned a café restaurant where they sold the best bakeries. After acquainted with them, every morning, I used to ride their on my bike and buy their croissant for breakfast. Your grandmother Cecily never forgave me for that, for she insisted that she makes the best breakfast—and she still does…_

“Morning Richard!” Rich Rivers greeted as sixteen year-old Richard came into the café. “The same?”

“The same,” Richard replied and waved to Jacquetta “Jackie” Rivers. “Hi Jackie. Morning.”

“Good morning Richard!” Jackie greeted back. “I heard you won the first place in that Lego contest. I saw your work. It’s impressive I must say.”

“Thanks,” Richard said as he took the freshly baked croissant and paid Rich Rivers.

“So you are going to be an architect?” Rich Rivers asked.

“Probably,” Richard replied. “I don’t know yet. But designing buildings and overseeing the work to have them build, I’m just fascinated with that.”

“Go for it!” Rich Rivers encouraged. “Let us know if you got accepted by Columbia and we’ll make you the best cake to celebrate.”

“Thanks Mr. Rivers,” Richard said. “Have a good day Jackie!”

_The River’s café restaurant was very popular then and the business was booming. Until one day, health investigators came in and declared their restaurant violated rules. The Rivers were ordered to shut down the café. Your Aunt Liz was crying a river. Mind you, she was six month pregnant with your cousin Lizzie, so I don’t know whether it was her hormones or it was just that traumatic for her. Your Uncle Ed decided to achieve the impossible—your grandfather Richard Neville._

“You are going to call Richard Neville?” Cecily, Richard’s mother, asked in a laughing tone. “That man is hailed as the best lawyer in New England. You will never get a chance to even get a glimpse of him.”

“But he is good,” Ed York argued. “He is the only one who can help Liz’s family.”

“And how are you going to afford it?” Cecily questioned. “You are a science teacher. You don’t make much money!”

Ed rolled his eyes. _Here we go again!_

“Look at George,” Cecily continued. “He’s applying college to study business administration and finance. His career goal is set and he has his eyes on finance and investments. That’s big moneymaker!”

“Mom,” Ed was annoyed each time Cecily brought up George. “I’m going to do this. I don’t care what you say but Liz’s family has been nice to us and I’m going to help them.”

_And so your Uncle Ed went to your grandfather Richard Neville’s office to make an appointment for initial consultation. It means you sit with a lawyer and ask questions—and you must value every second of it because that’s the only session that charges $0._

“Hi,” Ed greeted the receptionist with a charming smile. “I’m here to make an appointment to see Richard—“

“And so does rest of the world,” the receptionist retorted. “Go home and change your outfit. You don’t walk into Mr. Neville’s office dressing like a man lack of class.”

“By the way, do you know how beautiful you look?” Ed tried his boy-charm.

“And do you know how married you are?” the receptionist snarled. “Turn around and go home. By the way, your cologne is cheap.”

_And that was your Uncle Ed’s first interaction with your grandfather Richard, or rather his office staff. His receptionist was the gatekeeper—no one can see your grandfather without her approval. Your grandfather trusts her more than anyone, because she’s also your grandmother Ann. Uncle Ed was truly determined to have a meeting with your grandfather face-to-face. So much that he approached me for help._

“Ed, why would you need my help?” Richard asked, bewildered. “What you want me to do? Build you a magical ladder so that you can climb into his office through the window?”

“Come on Richard,” Ed said. “You remember how I’m always there for you. I was the one who gave you rides after you got bullied on the bus. I was there to give you support at your driver’s test. Can you be there for me as well?”

“But what can I do?”

“Just be there and that’s it,” Ed told him. “That woman at the front desk is the most hideous creature on earth and a totally a Cruella De Vile reborn! I need another man besides me to give me more man-power.”

“What about George?”

“George is reliable as pigs can fly,” Ed said. “Come on Dickon. Do this for me? Mr. Rivers has been so nice to you.”

_And so there I was, in my suit and tie, at to your grandfather Richard’s office suit with your Uncle Ed, also in his Ralph Lauren’s suit. If I were him, I would’ve say forget this and find another lawyer. But then again, had I done that, I would never have met your mother._

“No!” The receptionist, Ann Beauchamp Neville, spat. “Go back to where you came from. And FYI—your suits are ugly.”

And a six-foot tall security guy was approaching them.

Richard pulled Ed’s sleeve and the two brothers walked out of Richard Neville’s office suit. They silently entered the elevator in defeat.

The elevator stopped on floor ten, and a young brunette walked in. She was about thirteen or fourteen. On her shoulder was a Gucci bag.

She looked at Ed and then at Richard.

She gave Richard a smile, which Richard could’ve cared less.

As the elevator descended, she looked at Richard non-stop. When Richard looked back at her, her face went crimson.

Finally, they reached level one.

“Are you trying to see Mr. Neville?” She asked them.

“How did you know?” Ed turned and asked.

The girl ignored him and went directly to Richard. “If you like, I can show you a short-cut!”

She flashed Richard a smile, a brighter and wider one.

“Really? Show us!” Ed could not be happier.

The girl took Richard by the arm and led the way.

_Now I don’t know how she did it and I still don’t remember, but she helped us meet your grandfather Richard face-to-face. Like always, she manages to make things work out. Through that initial consultation, a friendship strike between your Uncle Ed and your grandfather Richard. And yes, your Grandfather Richard agreed to help your Aunt Liz’s family. It was a long, hard process but your grandfather Richard did it._

_Since then, us Yorks and the Nevilles became family friends._

_And that’s how I first met your mother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!
> 
> I don't know but I just love writing modern AUs. But I hope this is funny and entertaining for you as well.
> 
> I ship Richard x Anne more than any historical OTPs for some reason. I guess Aneurin Barnard is to blame.


	2. Croissants for You and Me

_I’ve told you, Ned, about how much I love the River’s café. Not just because their cuisine and bakery were good, but also because it was nice and quiet. There was absolutely no distraction; no long waiting line; and no drama. Your mother, however, changed all that._

Richard Neville and Ed York had become friends after Ed went to Richard Neville for initial consultation, thanks to the intervention of the younger Neville daughter, Anne. Her reason was obvious to everyone, including Richard. After Ed and Richard York walked out of her father’s office, Anne caught up with them.

“So, how did it go?” She asked; her eyes were on Richard.

“It went well, thanks,” Ed said gratefully. “I owe you one, you are a good kid.”

“Oh I know,” Anne said, blushing.

“And you are way better looking than that nasty receptionist,” Ed said.

“Oh,” Anne didn’t look too happy after hearing that.

“Anne!”

Ed and Richard saw that mean receptionist walked up to them. She ignored the York boys and went straight to Anne.

“I thought I told you that you are not allowed to play around in your father’s office suite!”

“But Mom—“

Before she could finish, the receptionist—her mother Ann Beauchamp Neville—dragged her away.

Anne kept on looking back at Richard.

***

But still, Richard Neville took the case and saved the River’s café restaurant. Since then, the two families began to spend time together; sometimes planned and sometimes unplanned. Richard Neville was fond of the York boys, particularly Richard. Ann Beauchamp remained of a snob towards the Yorks and more so towards the Rivers. That was not too surprising, for she was a hotel heiress who married to a successful attorney. Often, she showed off her fancy car, Gucci purse, or D&C shoes to Cecily and Jackie. She got along okay with Cecily; but neither she nor Jackie could tolerate each other. In Ann Beauchamp’s eyes, Jackie is a lowly working class woman who is never taught of birth control.

“Are you shooting a reality TV show?” Ann Beauchamp asked Jackie after she saw their family photo in the River’s café. It was a picture of Rich, Jackie and their fourteen children.

Needless to say, Jackie Rivers was more than offended.

Right after Ann Beauchamp left, Jackie announced to her husband and her son Anthony that Ann Beauchamp is not welcome to their house or their café ever again.

“Our door is not high enough for her nose!” She spat.

Ann Beauchamp could’ve cared less. She’d rather buy latte from Starbucks and eat breakfast made by their chief.

The Nevilles’ had two daughters. The older daughter Isabel was away at Wesley College, one of the seven sisters. The younger daughter Anne was only thirteen and started middle school.

***

“Can I help you?” Anthony and Rich Rivers greeted a young girl who came to their café.

“Yes…I…I like to look at your bakeries,” she said slowly.

“Come, I’ll show you!” Rich Rivers was always proud of his bakeries.

He showed her their croissants, cheesecakes, coconut cakes, strawberry cakes, and mousse cake. The girl looked at each one of them in their cases carefully, as if she was analyzing each by every angle.

“What else do you have?” She asked.

“Oh here’s our menu,” Anthony Rivers said. “It’s all here.”

The girl flipped through the pages as if it was a long, lengthy novel. From time to time, she glanced at the door.

Finally, after nearly thirty minutes later, Richard came.

“Hi Rich!” He greeted. “Hi Tony.” Then he saw the girl. “Oh hi Anne.”

The girl, Anne Neville, nearly choked on her breath after hearing him saying her name. “Hi Richard.”

Richard said to Rich Rivers, “The same as usual please.”

“The same as usual? What is that?” Anne asked and laughed.

“It’s the croissant I order every morning,” Richard replied.

“Just a croissant?” Anne said with her finger in the air. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You need to eat more than a croissant for breakfast. Do something different for a change. Look, there are cakes!”

Richard politely refused. “I’m fine with my croissant.”

“Because you can’t afford it?” Anne asked. “Don’t you worry, I got you covered!”

“I can pay for my own,” Richard said, trying to step away from her. “I order croissant because I like croissant.”

And Rich Rivers came from the back with Richard’s croissant.

“And you Miss Neville?” He asked warmly. Despite Jackie’s annoyance towards the Nevilles, he was grateful for Richard Neville’s intervention that saved his family business.

“I want what he has,” Anne answered quickly.

Richard paid in cash; and Anne waved her golden credit card.

“And two hot lattes with whip creams on top please!” She added.

“Two?” Rich Rivers was a little bewildered.

“The hot latte is on me,” Anne told Richard, giving him a big wide smile.

After Anthony prepared the hot lattes, Anne took one for herself and placed the other one into Richard’s hand. “Drink this and have a wonderful day!”

***

And thus every morning Anne would be at the Rivers’ café to buy something for herself, or rather, to see Richard. Overtime, she began to like the food. Rich Rivers welcomed good business from her. Jackie tried to be nice.

“One lemon cake and one croissant please; don’t forget the butter!” Anne said.

“Sure, whatever you want,” Anthony replied.

After the croissant was ready, Anne took the croissant from Rich Rivers and placed it in a bag along with butters, a plastic butter knife, and napkins. She folded the paper bag close and handed to Jackie.

“Please take good care of this and give it to Richard when he comes. Tell him don’t worry about paying!”

That continued for nearly a month.

One day, both Rich and Anthony noticed that Anne only ordered one croissant and nothing else.

“Nothing for you?” Rich asked. The croissant was always for Richard.

“No,” Anne sounded a bit down. “I kind of overspent my allowance. So today it’s just for Richard.”

Jackie, watching from afar, raised an eyebrow.

A few minutes after Anne left, Richard came.

“Richard, come here,” Jackie pulled Richard aside. “You have to talk to the girl.”

Richard let out a sigh. “Jackie, we had this conversation before. Anne is only a kid and she knows that I will never go out with her.”

Any thirteen year-old girl could have a crush an older teenager. But it was never meant to be taken seriously.

“The poor girl is emptying her peggy bank for you. Don’t you care? With her limited allowance she bought you breakfast and left herself starving!”

“Really?” Richard wasn’t buying it. “Even with that gold credit card of hers?”

“It’s prepaid,” Anthony told him. “I’m sure she must have gone over the limit. Man, I wish I have a girlfriend who’s that nice to me.”

“And what should I say?” Richard asked Rich, Jackie, and Anthony.

“You say nothing,” Anthony advised. “Girls at thirteen just hit puberty and they all tend to be crazy about older guys. It’s like…a sport.”

“No,” Jackie disagreed. “She cares for _you_ Richard. I saw it.”

“Look, I don’t have time and I have class to catch up,” Richard said almost indifferently. “We can talk about this another time.”

With that said, he grabbed the croissant and left.

“Men,” Jackie shook her head.

***

A few days later, Anne came as usual and bought Richard’s croissant. However, Rich Rivers told her, “Why don’t you take the croissant for yourself?”

“What? Why?” Anne was surprised.

“Richard didn’t come in the past few days,” Rich Rivers explained. “The croissants sat at the counter for the entire day.”

“What happened?” Anne asked.

“I don’t know,” Rich Rivers shrugged.

Anne said nothing. She took the croissant and put it in the paper bag. She added butter, napkin, and a plastic butter knife. Then, she folded the paper bag and quietly walked out of the café with the paper bag in her arms. From the window, Rich Rivers saw her wiping her tears.

“Young love,” Rich Rivers muttered.

_Your mother never went back to the River’s café again. What she didn’t know, and still doesn’t, is that I was watching not too far away. It wasn’t easy for me. Remember this Ned, hiding from women is never the best choice. It’s the easy way out, but the consequences can be merciless on your conscience. I hadn’t had croissant for years after that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is meant to be cute and funny, but for some reasons, I found my eyes watery at the end of chapter. I guess all girls had this phase of experience unrequited puppy love in our teenage years.
> 
> Comments please!


	3. Anne: the Queen of Talkativeness

_Ned, one of the first things I learned about your mother is how talkative she is—and it’s always the same thing. It goes on and on and on until you swear that you’d throw her off the bridge._

After being “let down gently” by Richard, Anne was depressed. She spoke very little at home. Her spirit was low.

At school, she was still her ordinary self; laughing with friends, answering questions in class, finishing her homework assignment on time. At home, however, there was another story. Her mother, Ann Beauchamp, could not be more frustrated.

“Izzy, I like you to come home for the next weekend,” Ann Beauchamp told her older daughter Isabel, who was in college.

“Mom, I can’t,” Isabel said. “I have a project due next week.”

“You don’t have class the next Monday and you can still do your assignment at home,” Ann Beauchamp said.

“Mom, what is it really?” Isabel smelled something.

“Your sister Annie,” Ann Beauchamp let out a sigh. “She’s love sick.”

Isabel burst out laughing. “Aww, Annie is in love. She’s growing up so fast!”

“I’m serious!” Ann Beauchamp changed her tone. “She does nothing except for locking herself in her room! Come home and talk to her.”

“Why can’t you talk to her?”

“Because per Annie, my perspective on love is very outdated and Stone Age,” Anne Beauchamp replied.

“Oh, it’s an emergency!” Isabel shook her head. “Fine, I’ll come home the next weekend.”

_Ned, this world is very big. But at times, it’s very small. You can walk down the street and pass by an ordinary guy. You’d never know that man could end up being your in-law, boss, or former high school classmate who used to be fat._

Isabel didn’t just come home. She brought someone with her.

After arrived home, Isabel jumped out of the car and went to hug her family.

“And how is my baby sister?” Isabel hugged Anne tightly.

“I’m okay,” Anne replied evenly.

Behind Isabel came a guy about her age; tall and light brown hair. He was carrying her luggage and bags.

“Oh,” Isabel went to him. “Mom, Dad, Annie, I like to introduce you my boyfriend—I mean my fiancé—George!”

All three—Richard Neville, Ann Beauchamp, and Anne—were shocked and mouth gaped open.

“I…I beg your pardon?” Richard Neville could not believe his ears.

Isabel flashed her ring on her left hand. “This is George and we met in college. We fell in love and we’re getting married!”

She looked back at George, who let out a nervous laugh, “Surprise!”

He was still carrying Isabel’s bags and luggage.

Anne ran back into the house without a word. She ran straight to her room and slammed the door behind her.

“See?” Ann Beauchamp pointed out to her older daughter.

***

“Anne? Annie!” Isabel knocked on her sister’s door. “Can I come in?”

“No!”

“We can talk about it!”

“No!”

“You can’t lock yourself in your room all the time.”

“Yes, yes I can!” Anne snorted behind the door. “If Juana of Castile was locked herself in a room for nearly half-a-century, then so can I!”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “First Juana of Castile was forced locked up and second she was crazy.”

“Leave me alone!”

Finally, Isabel gave up.

Anne stayed in her room for the whole day.

“Annie is hopeless,” Isabel told her parents afterwards. “Her heart is lost in the sea of rejection and loneliness.”

“Maybe I can try,” George suggested.

“Oh please, you?” Anne Beauchamp said with a snub. “Are you a MD in psychiatry?”

“No, but I’m good at talking to kids,” George replied.

After a long hesitation, Anne Beauchamp gave in. “Fine.” Then she took Isabel’s hand and examined her ring, “So how many karats is this diamond?”

***

Anne lied in bed, holding a pillow against her tummy. Wiping her tears, she heard a door knock.

“Go away!” She yelled. “Leave me alone!”

“It’s George, your soon-to-be brother-in-law,” George said on the other side of the door. “I’m here to talk to you.”

“You’re not going to be my brother-in-law,” Anne said in her tears. “You don’t make enough money to marry a Neville! What do you do for living?”

“I study finance,” George replied. “I’m the one who will save your parent’s retirement fund. I’m the one who will wave a magic wand and turn your one dollar bill into one hundred.”

Anne was silent.

“Come on, don’t you want a big brother to talk to?” George continued. “Someone who won’t betray your secrets?”

There was another moment of silent.

Then Anne talked. “Fine, come in. The door is open.”

George opened the door carefully and walked in. Anne was sitting on her bed with her pillow on her lap. Her eyes were red; she had a box of tissues in her hand. George pulled a chair and sat.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

Taking a deep breath, Anne mumbled, “My heart is broken.”

“Oh,” George said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not sorry! You don’t know what it feels like,” Anne wiped her nose. “It hurts. It hurts every day and every second of my life! It feels like my heart is sliced slowly into pieces!”

George let out a gentle laugh. “So who’s the guy who broke your heart?”

“I can’t say his name,” Anne shook her head and lied back down with her back to George. “I’m too embarrassed.”

“Does he know that you like him?”

“I don’t think so,” Anne replied. “I never confessed to him.”

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then how did he break your heart?”

Anne told him about the incident at the River’s café. “My croissant represents my heart. He abandoned my heart in the cold. He is cruel and unusual.”

“Okay,” George thought for a moment. “What would you say to him if you see him again?”

“Nothing,” Anne said harshly. “He broke my heart and I hate him for that.”

“Hate is a strong word!”

“No, it’s truthful,” Anne continued. “I don’t want to see his face ever again. I want him to pay for what he did to me.”

“How are you going to make him pay?”

“I’m going to cut out his heart and crush it into pieces!”

“Whoa, calm down there!” George laughed. “No one deserves this!”

“Hell has no fury like a woman scorned!” Anne insisted. “I don’t care for him anymore!”

“But you are still talking about him,” George pointed out. “Tell me about this boy.”

“Well,” Anne got up and said, “I can but you have to swear that you will not tell another soul on earth!”

“Fine,” George lent out his pinky finger. “Pinky swear?”

They pinky swore.

Anne then told him, “I first met him in my Daddy’s office building. He is tall and handsome. Seriously, I can picture him on a horse and kill a dragon. He has the most beautiful eyes. The moment I saw him Cupid shot an arrow into my heart. I’m done, I’m cursed. I cannot stop thinking about him. I want him to be happy. I want him to be around me. I noticed how much he loves to go to that River’s Café so I went there to know more about him. The poor guy can’t even afford anything more than a croissant. So, I decided to use my allowance to pay for his food. Maybe, maybe then one day he’d save enough money to buy a real meal. Mom is not happy and so she kind of cut my allowance down. But I can never believe…that he just left the croissant I bought in the cold. I lost him. It’s like a candle that used to warm my heart suddenly went out.”

Anne looked at George.

George was crying.

“He’s name is Richard York.”

And George was laughing.

_And this is how your mother got to know your Uncle George. He is a charming guy who knows how to talk to people. Just one thing about him: he does not know how to keep his mouth shut._

***

“Hey Richard,” George said to Richard on the phone. “How did you know Anne Neville?”

“What?” Richard didn’t even know where to begin.

“You heard me, how did you get to know that famous Richard Neville’s daughter?”

“It’s a long story,” Richard said. “Why are you asking?”

“Because I’m marrying her sister!”

“Shut up!” Richard cried out loud. “You are marrying that Richard Neville’s daughter? How do you find her mother?”

“A snobby woman who reminds me of Kris Jenner,” George said.

“Unfortunately you are correct brother,” Richard said.

“Anyway, Richard, the poor girl is completely head-over-heels for you,” George told him. “She is obsessed and infatuated! What did you do?”

“What do mean what did I do?” Richard could not be more confused.

“Did you cast a spell on her?” George asked. “Look bro, since I’m marrying her sister and you two will eventually become family, can you promise me that you will be civil with her?”

“George, you are ridiculous. Anne only has a girl crush on me. We are not a divorcing couple!”

“Just promise me,” George said. “I don’t know, but this girl Anne Neville, she strikes me as a girl who does not take rejection well. That girl has sworn vengeance. She is going to cut your heart out and crush it into pieces. What did you do to her?’

“George, don’t take the words of a girl too seriously. She’s only thirteen.”

“Fourteen,” George corrected her.

“By the way, how did you know so many details?” Richard raised an eyebrow.

“She told me.”

***

After their conversation, George offered to take Richard and Isabel a trip to Columbia.

“Don’t you want to visit the school?” George asked.

“Sure,” Richard agreed. “So just you, me, and Isabel?”

“Yeah,” George replied.

Yeah, right.

By the time George and Isabel swung by to pick up Richard, he surprisingly found they were a group of four: George, Richard, Isabel, and Anne. Richard was sitting in the front while Anne was sitting in the back with Isabel. The moment when Richard got into the car, Anne started to eat her Skittles.

She ate them as they were magic pills to cure her broken heart and calm her feelings.

It was a long drive; four hours.

They departed in the early morning about five o’clock. Richard brought himself a pillow and planned to sleep through the trip. Isabel was sleeping too.

But Anne was awake.

And she saw Richard rubbing his eyes.

“So, Richard,” she began, talking as if nothing was bothering her. “You are awake?”

“Yeah,” Richard let out a yawn.

“How have you been?”

“Good.”

“So, Richard,” Anne continued. “What makes you afraid to go to the River’s Café again?”

“Afraid?” Richard didn’t even know what she was referring to.

“You haven’t gone to that café for a while now, are you afraid of something?” Anne pressed. “Is there something at the café that prompt you a psychological fear that may have occurred in your forgotten childhood years?”

Richard shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I can help you,” Anne said. “I found this look from our school library about Simon Freud—“

“You mean Sigmund Freud,” George corrected her.

“George, this is a two-person session!” Anne hissed. “You stay out of this and drive!” She then refocused on Richard and released her seat belt and pulled herself closer to him. “So Richard, think about this…when and where did you experience your first fear? Is it back in kindergarten? Or pre-school?”

“I don’t know,” Richard said, trying to hide his annoyance.

“But you have to!” Anne insisted. “What if one day you really need something and that fear prevented you from getting it? You’ll die!”

Richard said nothing.

“Richard,” Anne talked again. “Think…just think…from the day you were born…what was the first thing you saw?’

“I don’t remember.”

“What do you remember?”

“Nothing.”

“Richard, let’s play a game so that you know yourself better. Picture this: you came home from a party and you by chance accidently hit someone. You car dragged that poor person for miles. By the time you got home, you had no clue what happened. Unbeknownst to you, a human hand remained stuck underneath your car. Then, your car became haunted. The spirit of your victim haunts you day and night. What’d you say to that ghost?”

“I’d say I’m sorry,” Richard mumbled with his eyes closed.

“Richard, let’s try another scenario,” Anne continued. “Let’s say you got into a time machine and went back to ancient history in England. What would you do if you were William the Conqueror…”

And she went on and on and on.

By the time she finished talking, she was asking what Richard would do if he were Tony Blair.

Finally they arrived.

Anne talked the whole way.

At Columbia, Richard met Dr. William Hastings, a professor worked in architecture department.

“You looked stressed,” Dr. Hastings commented. “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

***

Before they were heading back, Richard pulled Isabel and George aside and begged, “Can you have Anne sit in the front and me sit in the back?”

“Why?” Isabel asked.

“Just do it, please?” Richard pressed.

“Okay,” Isabel agreed.

Anne went to the bathroom. By the time she got to the car, she found the front seat empty and Richard sat with George in the back. She got into the car and asked Isabel, “What’s with the seat change?”

“George is tired from driving,” Isabel said.

“Oh,” Anne shrugged.

Isabel started the car and they drove off.

After a half-hour or so, Anne turned her head around and spoke, “So Richard, how do you find Columbia? Do you want to go there?”

“It’s fine,” Richard replied.

“But do you have a career goal in mind?” Anne asked, with her body half-turned, facing Richard.

“Not at the moment.”

“Do you have any plan for the future?” Anne asked. “Like, marriage and kids.”

“I don’t know Anne. Too far ahead.”

“No, not too far ahead,” Anne said. “Back in Medieval time, you’d be a father of two with baby number three on the way. Here, give me your hand.”

She took his hand and began to read his palm.

“Hmm, I see your life line very long. And your sick line is deep…you get sick a lot?”

Richard and George stared at her blankly. They mistook her pronunciation of “sick” for “sex”.

“No, it never happened,” Richard said with a straight face.

“Hmm, you do look healthy, but maybe there’s something you don’t even know yourself,” Anne said, tilting her head. “Have you seen a doctor yet? What did he say about this?”

“He said that I’m not ready.”

“Ready? You don’t need to be ready for that. It comes as it comes without a warning. You know, you could be in a car and then you felt something wrong and boom, it happens,” Anne said as-a-matter-of-factly. “It happens to all of us, rich and poor.”

“Hey Anne, can you look at mine?” George showed Anne his palm with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow.

Anne examined and said, “Hmm, I don’t see any sick line. Too thin. You are not going to get sick for most of your life.”

“What?” George was aghast. (Hint: he thought Anne said you are not going to get “sex” for most of your life.)

“Why are you upset?” Anne asked, surprised. “Think about all these hospital bills you don’t have to pay. You won’t end up in the ER. You won’t end up with surgery. You won’t end up in bed—“

Suddenly, her face turned green.

“Izzy, can we pull over to a bathroom?” Anne said, turning herself around facing front. “I…I feel sick.”

“You what?” George asked. “Did you say you feel sex?”

“No!” Anne shouted. “Sick! Sick! SICK! As ill! As—“ She was about to vomit and covered her mouth with her hand. She rested her head against a pillow—Richard’s pillow.

“Anne, no offense, but that’s _the_ pillow I take to camping,” Richard said. _Sweet vengeance._

“This is all your fault!” Anne complained. “If you had not stolen my heart, I mean my seat, none of this would happen!”

“Annie, don’t try to talk!” Isabel instructed as she pulled over to a gas station. Anne ran out and bolted into the gas station. The trio watched as she shoved people aside and rushed in; running out with the bathroom key; she ran the wrong way and ran back and forth; finally she found the bathroom and was in there for nearly forty minutes. She emerged from the bathroom and sauntered back into the gas station.

“I feel better,” she mumbled as they got back into the car.

She was still talking throughout the way, only in a weak and sick tone.

After they dropped off Richard at his house, the three went back to Anne’s house.

“You still like him,” George remarked.

“Yep,” Anne and Isabel answered in unison.

_Your mother remained sick for the rest of the day and she blames me every time it was brought up. I did not have a good day either. I spent the rest of the day in my room with a pillow over my head. I could still hear her talking—your mother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In palm reading, there are 1) life line, 2) love line, 3) success line, and 4) health line (or sick line). Health line is visible for some and almost invisible for others. In palm reading, for people who are healthy, it's not visible. 
> 
> FYI - if you turn yourself around while riding in a car, you'd get carsick. 
> 
> Comment please!


	4. Mission: Kiss Richard!

_Ned, the most important lesson in life I learned is that girls are scary—especially a bunch of them scheming together. Back in middle school, your mother had her girlfriends, and I never understand why they are not recruited by CIA. One incident taught me to never, ever underestimate women._

Anne lied in the bed while her friends Veronica, Nell, and Elaine tried to cheer her up.

“Come on Neville, you are not like yourself!” Veronica said, pulling her up. “You used to be a strong girl. Now what’s the matter with you?”

Holding a cushion against her stomach, Anne murmured, “Richard’s brother is marrying Izzy. Now I’m getting to see more of him. If he gets married, then it means that I had to be there!”

“Wow, this sucks,” Nell commented. “This is like the book _Like Water for Chocolate_.”

“No it isn’t!” Elaine said. “Izzy is not marrying Richard. Had Anne been crazy about George, then it’s like the plot of that book.”

“What do you want Anne?” Veronica asked her.

“I don’t know,” Anne mumbled. “I don’t want him around.”

“Then don’t be around him.”

“But I don’t want him be not around either.”

“So do you want him around or not?” Veronica asked.

“I want him around whenever I want him around,” Anne replied.

“Anne you have to pull yourself together!” Elaine insisted. “You can’t allow a guy to ruin your life!”

“Come on Anne, what do you really want?” Nell asked.

“I…I…I…” Anne’s face went crimson. “I want to kiss him.”

The three girls looked at each other. Veronica stood up, “Fine. Let’s make it happen!”

***

And thus the four girls got together every day. Nell helped picking out Anne’s outfit; Elaine helped choosing Anne’s hair and eye shadow colors; and Veronica brought her magazines on how to get the best kiss out of a guy.

Still, the ultimate goal was to kiss Richard.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Veronica placed a huge sticky note on Anne’s closet door. “We are going to work together as a team. Anne, you need to gather all your courage and ace it! Now, all we need is for Anne to have a moment with Richard—alone. How can we make that happen?”

“You can invite him out to movie,” Nell suggested.

“Like a sixteen year old guy would go out to watch a movie with a thirteen year old,” Elaine laughed.

“Hey, I’m turning fourteen real soon,” Anne reminded her.

“What movie would you want to watch with him?” Veronica asked Anne.

“ _He’s Just Not That Into You_ ,” Anne replied. She was a fan of Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck.

“Really Anne?” Elaine rolled her eyes. “Can you pick a movie with a better title?”

“Fine,” Anne then picked her second favorite film. “ _The Break-Up_.”

“Okay, let’s forget movies,” Veronica changed the subject. “When are you going to see Richard again?”

“I don’t know,” Anne muttered. “He has his life and I have mine.”

“But you are going to become family soon,” Elaine reminded her. “You’ll see each other at picnic, at Thanksgiving dinner, or at Christmas.”

“That’s too far away,” Anne mumbled.

“Well your sister is marrying his brother. I’m sure you’ll get to see him soon,” Nell pointed out.

“True,” Anne shrugged.

“Okay, so now, let’s say that you are with him at a party,” Veronica scribed the word “party” on the large sticky note. “Who’s attending?”

“Izzy, of course; George her fiancé; his mother Cecily; his brother Ed; his wife Liz; my parents; and myself,” Anne counted with her fingers.

“Hmm…that many people,” Veronica rubbed her chin. “You need to be alone with him in a closed space—with nobody around.”

“How?” Anne asked. “Whenever Richard is around, he’d be talking to his brothers or to my Dad. He ignores me.”

“Then make him un-ignore you,” Nell suggested. “Get his attention. Put on your new dress and get his attention.”

“Stop!” Veronica said with her hands in the air. “Let’s make this easy. So, let’s say that you are going to see Richard soon at a family outing. This is what you need to do.” She went on and wrote down on the sticky note:

  1.        Call us and invite us to join – because we’re like sisters
  2.        All of us keep an eye on Richard and will text Anne when he’s alone.
  3.        Anne will get to Richard and we will block away other people.
  4.        Nell will turn on the music very loud – and Anne will tell him something
  5.        Anne – take this moment and get him!



Veronica then took her phone and snapped a picture. “Girls, memorize this! Code word is ‘the King’!”

***

God has answered Anne’s prayers.

In the upcoming weekend, Anne’s mother was throwing an engagement party for Isabel. Her Dad Richard Neville was reviewing the guest list.

“Dad, who’s coming to the party this weekend?” Anne asked eagerly. “Is George coming?”

“Of course,” Richard Neville laughed. “What’s the point without George?”

“Is Ed coming?”

“Yes.”

“Is his wife Elizabeth coming?”

“Yes,” now Richard Neville didn’t sound too excited.

“Are Mr. and Mrs. Rivers coming?”

“Don’t know.”

Anne hesitated, and then asked, “Is Richard coming?”

“Don’t know.”

“Is Aunt Cecily coming?”

“Maybe, I’m sure of it.”

“Is Anthony coming?”

“Don’t know, and don’t care.”

“Is Richard coming?”

“Don’t know.”

“So who else is coming?” Anne asked.

“Richard is not coming!” Richard Neville was totally annoyed. “Even if he is coming, please behave yourself. You are annoyed the hell out of him. Anne, keep this in your mind, guys like space. You are all over Richard like a mouse is all over a cookie!”

“Okay Dad,” Anne walked away blushing. She texted her friends, _Richard may be coming. Don’t know yet._

***

Isabel and George’s engagement party was a small one, hosted by Ann Beauchamp in the Neville’s house’s backyard as a barbeque party. Ann Beauchamp, of course, was in her Dior outfit, showing off her new watch and perfume. Cecily tried act as natural as possible, even though she found it overbearing. The party was nice and decent with members of Neville and York family. Ed and his wife Liz brought their six months old daughter Lizzie; Liz also brought her parents and her siblings; but there was no sign of Richard.

“Oh look, the River’s clan,” Ann Beauchamp remarked to her husband. “Taking the perfect opportunity to feed off the riches.”

“Ann,” Richard rebuked, even though he was not a fan of the Rivers either.

Anne ate and drank with her family, watching Izzy happily with George. Suddenly the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Anne yelled and ran to the front door. To her disappointment, it was not Richard but a UPS delivery man.

“Hi,” he greeted. “I have a package for—“

“I don’t care!” Anne shut the door right into his face.

After she ran back into the backyard, she surprisingly found Richard there. Instantly she texted her friends, _the King is here._

Veronica texted back, _Okay #1_.

Anne went to Richard Neville, “Dad, can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure,” Richard Neville replied.

“Can I…can I invite some friends over?” Anne asked. “They are like sisters to me.”

“Ah poor little Annie has no one to talk to,” Ed remarked. “I think it’d be a great idea to have her friends over.”

“Okay,” Richard Neville agreed. “Just stay out of trouble.”

“Thanks Dad!” Anne gave her father a hug. Then she texted her friends, _#1 is done_.

***

Soon, her three friends came.

“So which one is he?” Nell asked. “Is that him?” She was pointing at Ed.

“No!” Anne shook her head. “It’s the one in grey shirt!”

“He is cute,” Elaine said. “But the tall guy next to him, is like wow!”

“I’d die for him!” Veronica added.

“Girls, I don’t care for Ed! I want to kiss Richard!” Anne reminded them in a whisper.

“Okay, now let’s get to the next part of our plan,” Veronica, the team leader said. “Get Richard alone with Anne.”

Now that was mission impossible. Richard was always around people. Either he was chatting with his brothers or talking to Anthony. He hardly noticed Anne, which hurt her feelings a lot. Finally, when everyone was gathering together on the patio to prepare for the announcement of Izzy and George’s engagement, Richard excused himself to use the bathroom.

Perfect opportunity that could not afford to be missed.

Anne excused herself and followed Richard. She waited for Richard to walk out of the bathroom. Elaine sneaked behind her and gave her a thumb up; she then closed the large screen door to the patio. Nell, hiding in the corner, turned up the music loud.

Richard walked out the bathroom and found loud music blasting.

“Hi,” Anne appeared before him.

“Hi,” he greeted back, finding her smiling odd.

“Richard, I need to tell you something!” Anne said very loudly.

“I can’t hear you!” Richard leaned a bit closer.

Anne pulled him down to tell him in his ear…

***

“Now, I like to announce,” Richard Neville said raising his champagne glass with his back to the large screen doors. “The happy and honorable engagement of—“

“OH MY GOD!” George yelped loudly, as if he witnessed a murder. “ANNE IS KISSING RICHARD!!!!”

Everyone one looked at the direction he was pointing.

From the house walked out Richard. His eyes were still; he was in shock as if he just went through a traumatic accident. “Oh…my…God…Anne…just kissed me…”

In the house, with the large screen doors opened, Anne was jumping up and down with her friends as if she just won the jackpot. “I KISSED RICHARD!”

The whole engagement party was ruined.

***

Sitting before her father with her three friends, Anne looked down at the floor as her father lectured her.

“Anne, how could you do this? How could you kiss Richard?”

“Did not,” Anne denied, with her face red and trying hard hiding her grin.

“He told me, and everyone saw it!” Richard Neville told her. “I told you to behave yourself; to give him space; and to stop acting like a mouse crazy over a cookie. And what did you do? You bit off a huge chunk of that cookie!”

All four girls giggled at that comparison. Richard Neville cleared his throat and the four silenced.

“I did not try to do that…” Anne explained not too convincingly. “I was trying to tell him something. It was an accident.”

Richard Neville gave her a look. “Richard told us what happened.”

“He remembered?” Anne said excitedly. “Was he happy?”

“Happy? Happy?” Richard Neville exclaimed. “Was Franklin Roosevelt happy when he received the news of Pearl Harbor? Was France happy when its team lost the World Cup? Does Richard look happy to you?”

Anne grumped. “Guess not.”

“Go and apologize,” Richard Neville ordered.

Anne got up and went to find Richard.

***

She found him in the driveway, about to leave the house. Slowly, she approached him.

“Richard…I apologize for what happened,” Anne said. “It was a total accident.” And then she started giggling. “I…I…I…totally…didn’t mean…it to happen…hahaha…I was trying…to tell you…something…hehehe…I…I…I’m…sorry…haha…I…didn’t…hahaha….”

She went on laughing and giggling for five minutes. Her face was red and hot to the point that she was waving her hands before her face to wave off the heat.

The harder she tried to stop, the harder the laughed.

Bending her back, she was laughing non-stop.

***

_“So that’s how you firstkissed Mom,” Ned said to his Dad._

_“No,” Richard told him. “That’s when your Mom first kissed me. For a long time, she denied it or said that it was a complete accident.”_

_“So what happened to Mom and her friends?”_

_“Your Grandfather Richard grounded Mom for three weeks,” Richard told Ned. “And her friends were forbidden to come to her house for three months.”_

_“And you Dad?”_

_“Well…”_

Richard hadn’t seen Anne again after that incident until his family threw him a party before he’s leaving for college. That was two years later and Anne was fifteen. She came with her family, and she hardly paid any attention to Richard.

However, when it was time to tell Richard goodbye, she hugged him in death grip for about two minutes.

She still liked him, even after all that happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book "Like Water for Chocolate" is about two star-crossed lovers in Mexico; the male protagonist asked his lover's mother for permission to marry her. But the mother, Mama Elaina, refused and offered her older daughter Rosario instead.
> 
> I hope you like this chapter!


	5. Menage a Trois - begins at the DMV

_Ned, in three years you’ll be driving. Before you can drive, you need to pass your driver’s test. I passed with one shot; your Uncle Ed passed with one shot; your Uncle George had no problem, neither did your Aunt Izzy. Your mother, of course, is the only one in the family who ever failed a driver’s test._

That was three years after Anne kissed Richard.

That was not really her first kiss; but it was the first time she kissed a guy she genuinely liked. Although she felt bad for ruining her sister Isabel’s engagement party, that particular moment where she gave Richard a juicy peck on the cheek made her giggle. It was guilty pleasure indeed.

Isabel took it as a sign that her engagement to George may had been a mistake. George tried to convince her otherwise. Their wedding was on hold—for three years. By the time Anne blew sixteen candles on her birthday cake, Isabel was still “engaged” to George.

No wedding was set.

Until one day.

George finished his MBA program and got a job on Wall Street as stock trader. His first gift for Isabel—after getting his first paycheck plus bonus—was a romantic date on a boat. Gentlemanly, he took Isabel for a boat ride with sweet wine, food and a full moon in the sky.

Who could’ve guessed Isabel, somehow, fell into the water and broke her arm?

It was her left arm that was seriously injured; the exact arm connected to the hand with the ring.

Isabel took it as a sign that she and George weren’t meant to be.

So she returned the engagement ring to George, who was so heartbroken that he tried to jump from a 20-story high building in Manhattan.

_“Really?” Ned asked. “Uncle George really did that?”_

_“No!” Richard laughed. “That’s my joke. But your Uncle George was pretty upset.”_

Isabel and George’s break up caused the Nevilles and the Yorks to interact less. That was not too big of a surprise. Ann Beauchamp looked down at the Yorks and particularly the Rivers, whom she firmly believed was trying to use her husband for their gain. Jackie Rivers was not a fan of Ann Beauchamp either. Richard Neville himself was not too comfortable seeing Ed so easily indulged into his wife’s demands. As time went by, the two families stopped talking altogether.

***

“Annie, stop flipping the book!” Isabel told her. “You went through that book for at least 100 times!”

Anne ignored her sister and continued to review the driver’s manual.

“Annie, relax please!” Isabel told her again. “You are driving me nuts!”

“Izzy, I’m…just nervous!” Anne said. “Oh my God, are they going to call my name? What if I’m not ready? The manual says that I can only take the driver’s test three times with each permit—“

“Annie, I passed it; Mom passed it; and I’m sure you can too,” Isabel said. “Gee, why did my arm healed in time so that I’m taking you here for your driver’s test?”

“Izzy, I thought you are supposed to give me moral support here!” Anne mumbled.

“I am, which is why I am telling you to calm down and relax,” Isabel said while rubbing Anne’s shoulder. “If you happened to fail, you can come back again.”

Anne took out a mirror from her purse and fixed her hair. “Do I look okay?”

“You look fine,” Isabel assured her. “And I guarantee you hair and face do not give you extra points in your driver’s exam.”

Before Anne could say anything, her name was called.

Shaking, she rose from her seat. “Okay, wish me luck.”

“Good luck!”

Taking her stuff and forms, Anne went to the back. First, it was the knowledge test of 25 questions. Standing before a computer screen, Anne answered a series of questions on road signs, rules of driving, and safety.

And she passed!

Anne finally smiled.

But that was only part one of the driver’s exam; and it was the easier part.

Handing her forms and permit to the driving examiner, Anne went out the DMV building to her car. It was a brand new Mercedes given by her parents for her sweet sixteen. The driving examiner was a heavy-set man in his forties.

“Hi,” Anne flashed him a big wide smile.

“Hi,” the driving examiner greeted back as they got into her car.

Or attempted to get into her car.

For some reasons, the car doors remained locked even after Anne pressed the button on her device multiple times. Panicked, she tried everything she could to open the car door, including pulling and shaking the door handle. Sweats were falling from her head. Each time she tried a new method to open the door, she looked at the driving examiner and gave him a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry, this is a new car,” she explained nervously. “New model, new door, new—“

Finally she got the car door opened.

“What do you know? It’s opened!” Anne said happily with a relief. “Let’s go!”

Throughout the whole time, Isabel was watching from the window.

She watched as her sister trying hard to open the car door. _Oh Annie, you need to hold the device button down first before you pull the door handle!_

After seeing Anne got into the car with the driving examiner and took off, Isabel let out a sigh of relief. She saw Anne’s Mercedes pulled out of the parking lot.

So far, so good.

Now, all she needed was to follow the driving examiner’s direction; remember to stop at stop sign for three seconds; pay attention to the speed limit sign; do not turn on red; and turn to the closest lane. As other test-takers, Anne should turn left.

Wait a minute…

Why is she turning right?

Isabel started giggling. Anne had this problem with her right and left since preschool. Apparently she made no improvement even after growing up.

***

“I am so sorry!” Anne apologized for the fifth time. “I thought…”

“Miss, just turn around and we’ll take the next left,” the driving examiner told her, annoyed to the bone.

Anne made a u-turn and went back onto the road. Left turn should’ve taken her to the traffic road and right turn was to the parking garage.

“Okay, make a right,” the examiner directed her.

And she turned left.

The driving examiner rolled his eyes.

Anne soon found herself in an isolated place where the speed limit was 25 miles per hour. That wasn’t hard since the road was quite narrow. In fact, it was so narrow as if it was only one lane. As they drove up to the slope, Anne commented, “This road is so narrow. Why is that?”

“Because this is a sidewalk!” the driving examiner cried.

“Oh!” Anne realized it. The sidewalk was connected to the main road and it did not look like a side walk to her by the first glance. Then Anne saw the sign that said “no motor vehicle”. “Oops!”

Driving five miles per hour, Anne finally managed to pull them off the sidewalk.

“Which way?” Anne asked the driving examiner.

“I don’t know,” the examiner said hopelessly. “I’m lost.”

“I have a GPS!” Anne told him. “Don’t worry! We’ll be back in no time!”

And the GPS was not working. Well, not because it was broken but because it was programmed to not to work if the car is driving—to prevent potential accidents common among drivers who tries to program GPS while driving, which was not too different from text-and-drive.

Anne made a few turns and miraculously found her way back to the traffic road, which was blocked due to a serious accident. While waiting for the road cop to direct them, Anne told the examiner, “My car is a brand new model and it has an ejection button somewhere.”

“Ejection button?” the examiner raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Anne continued. “Say if you got yourself into an accident, like if a truck was about to hit you, you can push that ejection button and eject yourself into the air.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh,” Anne nodded. “My mom got into an accident not too long ago. She called 911 and the operator asked if anyone is ejected. Brand new technology, cool right? A few years ago only Batmobile could do that.”

The driving examiner said nothing more.

He remained silent throughout the way.

***

By the time Anne and the driving examiner got back it was almost two hours since they started.

And Anne failed.

“Honey, wait for another decade or two and then come back,” the examiner told her word to word. “Hopefully by then I’m already retired.”

Anne was on verge of tears.

Isabel went to Anne, who was looking for lip gloss in her purse. “Annie, let’s go home.”

“No!” Anne shook her head and tried not to cry. “I’m too embarrassing.”

As the two sisters argued, another guy about Anne’s age walked back into the DMV building very upset. In a heavy British accent, he went to his mother, who was equally upset.

“How could you fail your driver’s exam only after five minutes?” His mother asked angrily.

“I don’t know, Americans are crazy,” the British guy insisted. “I was being a careful driver and he failed me on the spot.”

“What happened really?” His mother demanded.

“Mum, I was driving five miles per hour on the road. Then he told me to turn around and come back and failed me!”

Mother and son continued their argument while the Neville sisters were fighting. Isabel wanted to leave while Anne insisted on drinking some water first. The two struggled with Anne’s water bottle until the button’s cap went off.

And the water spilled right into the face of DMV manager.

Without a word, Isabel ran out of the DMV building while Anne bolted out in the other way.

Everyone else at the DMV was laughing, including a young man who was reading a magazine. After the Neville girls were gone, he put down the magazine and rose from his seat.

“Young man, can I ask you a question?” The driving examiner, who was with Anne, asked him. “Have you ever heard of a car that has an ejection button?”

The young man shrugged. “I don’t know, probably Batmobile.”

_And that young man, Ned, was me. I saw it all._

_It was that moment when I fell in love with your mother._

***

Uhmm…in life, there are things that you just can’t tell your kids. You have to tone it down from a rated-R version to a rated-G version.

_What Richard told his son Ned: Aunt Izzy and Uncle George broke up after your Aunt Izzy fell into the water and broke her arm._

What actually happened: George and Isabel got so drunk on the boat that Isabel fell into the water while trying to get off the deck and broke her arm. George was so inebriated that he had to call 911 since he couldn’t drive her to the hospital.

_What Richard told his son Ned: your mother asked the driving examiner about an ejection button—a button supposed to eject the driver into the air under dangerous circumstances like a Batmobile would do._

What actually happened: Anne said to the driving examiner, “My car is a brand new model and it has an ejaculation button. You know, when you are in danger, you press that button and that will ejaculate you into the air!” Later, the driving examiner asked Richard about “a car with ejaculation button”, Richard responded, “probably something made up in the Japanese anime porn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired, and wasting away. But I want to get this story out of my mind.
> 
> Italicized words = Richard's narration
> 
> "Eject from car" means when a person, either driver or passenger, got thrown out of the car through windshield due to the accident. 
> 
> Comment please!


	6. The Two Met Again, or Three

_Ned, you probably have heard the phrase “what comes around goes around.” When I first start telling you the story, it was all about your mother being crazy about me. At the time, I never understood it other than it’s annoying, even though I was flattered from time to time. Who could’ve thought? Years later, we met again and the roles got reversed._

In his suit and tie, Richard stood before the presentation of his honors project at the Columbia University’s Honors Fair. After high school, he went to Columbia University with a double major in computer programming and architecture. For his final project with the honors program, he designed a skyscraper. His advisor and professors were impressed. He already got a job with a consulting company. Good money and a good career.

His mother Cecily was sure proud of him. She endlessly bragged about how much money Richard would make.

That annoyed the hell out of him.

He only pursued a career in architecture because he loved it; not everything was for the money.

George certainly found a moneymaking job—and the stock market surely had an impact on his mental health. Every time he picked up his work phone, he had to bite a tick-tack to prevent a heart attack or stroke.

That was not an exaggeration.

Cecily put her retirement funds in his hands. The recent stock market crash nearly caused all her hormones to jitter despite George tried to assure her that the market will go back up again. That night George himself was rushed to the hospital because of a panic attack. It was a nightmarish experience for both mother and son.  

Well, that made Richard and Ed happy that they chose a career field based on their personal preference and comfort level.

“Hi,” a girl greeted.

Richard turned and greeted back. “Hi.”

It was a young woman of twenty; brunette, slim, and medium height. She gave him a nice smile. “Hi, Richard. Good to see you!”

It took more than a few seconds for Richard to recognize her. “Oh hi Anne.”

They hadn’t talked since Isabel and George’s break up. Richard hadn’t seen her since that incident at DMV where Anne failed her driver’s exam.

“How have you been?” They asked each other in unison.

And then they laughed.

And then they started a conversation.

The conversation continued after the convention was over.

Richard invited Anne to have a cup of coffee with him, to which Anne agreed.

***

“You go to school here?” Richard asked as Anne ate her dipping dots, her favorite.

“No,” Anne shook her head.

“Where are you now?”

“Don’t laugh,” Anne said. “You are not going to believe your ears.”

“Hey, am I ever a judgmental person?” Richard teased. “Seriously, where do you go to school?”

“SUNY,” Anne told him. “I’m going to state school and pay my own tuition.”

“What?” Richard was both surprised and impressed. “You are on your own? Your parents are not helping you?”

Anne shrugged. “It’s a long story.”

“Tell me,” Richard pressed.

The two sat down on a bench and Anne told him, “My Dad and I don’t see things eye to eye. Izzy studied economy and she’s doing things at a bank. Me, I want to do something else other than business administration or law. Mom encourages me to pursue a career in medical field. I just don’t see myself wearing a lab coat in a hospital or a suit in an office building. I like writing and I like history. So, I decided to study history and English literature. Maybe one day, I can be a famous historical fiction writer or a TV show creator like Michael Hirst.”

“Who’s Michael Hirst?” Richard had no idea who she’s talking about.

“The one who wrote _The Tudors_ ,” Anne replied. “And he did _The Borgias_ and _Vikings_ as well. Custom dramas and historical TV shows.”

“So you are going to put naked people on screen,” Richard teased. “Big money.”

“Stop!” Anne blushed. “Nude scenes are not just naked people. They are arts and must have a point to the plot. Or else, it’s just porn for the boys.”

“And girls too,” Richard added. “So, you are going to SUNY and be on your own. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I am, to a certain point,” Anne replied. “I’m on a loan and…I owe the state $250.”

“For what?”

“Traffic ticket,” Anne told him. “I was speeding, and I am due in court tomorrow.”

“You are going to fight it?” Richard asked. “What about your Dad? What does he say?”

“Well,” Anne sounded a bit down. “After our fell out on my career choice, we are not on good term. You know him. He’s going to charge me for any legal consultation.”

“Initial consultation should be free,” Richard pointed out.

“Hey, don’t get smart mouth with me!”

The two chatted and had a good time.

Richard found Anne much more mature and sweet. She was so natural and so genuine.

He just loved her smile so much; and her sense of humor too.

The evening went by too quickly.

They exchanged numbers. And they’d talk soon.

***

The next day, Richard texted Anne, wishing her luck at the court.

Anne texted him back with a “thank you.”

But so far, by five in the evening, no text from her.

Staring at the phone, Richard wondered if he should call her or text her.

What happened to that girl who was so obsessed with him?

Richard left his apartment and went to a café to grab a latte.

And he found Anne sitting right before him, looked very down.

“Hey,” he went to her and sat before her. “How did it go?”

Anne put the phone down and looked at him. “I went to the court…sat with the worst drivers in the state. It was a long waiting line and…I got the ticket reduced to $50. But then…I got another ticket.”

“Another ticket?” Richard nearly laughed out loud. “For what?”

“On my way back, it was road construction and traffic lights every five steps. No car around and I got impatient so I decided, what the heck? I went through the red lights, completely forgot there’re two cops trafficking the road not too far behind.”

“You went through red light in front of police officers?” Richard could not hold back his laughs.

“$120 on top of my $50, which makes it $170,” Anne said. “Still better than $250.”

“Maybe you should go back to learn how to drive,” Richard teased.

“Hey, don’t push it,” Anne said. “How’s George?”

“He’s fine. Wall Street is driving him nuts. Izzy?”

“Izzy is doing fine at the UBS,” Anne told him. “And Ed?”

“Ed and Liz are having baby #6,” Richard said.

“Six kids plus Liz’s two boys from her previous marriage?” Anne raised an eyebrow. “They are not doing _Ed and Liz Plus Eight_ , are they?”

She was referring to that reality TV show with Jon and Kate and their eight kids.

“No!” Richard shook his head. “Tom and Dick are out of house now. So it’s six kids.”

The two stopped.

It was the part where both didn’t know what to say next.

Richard was debating on whether to ask if she’s seeing anyone.

Not only he began to like her, he was also concerned about Anne living on her own. She needed someone to watch her back, give her advice, and take care of her.

Someone like a man who’s responsible, nice, and caring.

Someone like Richard York.

Before he could say anything, another guy walked into the café.

“Edouard!” Anne’s eyes brightened as she saw him and waved.

Richard saw a young man about his height; lean and in a soccer uniform. He smiled at Anne and went to hug her. The two kissed and sat.

“Richard, this is Edouard Lancaster,” Anne introduced. “He’s a star soccer player at UCLA. He just flew here to see me. We have been dated since high school.”

“Hello,” Edouard spoke in a British accent. “Nice to meet you.”

He slipped his arm around Anne.

_That man Edouard is someone whom I saw years ago at that DMV where your mother failed her driver’s exam. He failed too, for driving 5 miles per hour. At the time I joked to myself that he’d be a good match for your mother—something I never forgave myself for._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UBS = United Bank of Switzerland
> 
> I posted on Tumblr a joke on whether I should write or dream about German footballer Thomas Muller. Annetheseamaiden said I could do both...and I was like hmm...yeah I can.
> 
> So I'm basing this version of Edouard Lancaster on Thomas Muller.
> 
> Comments please!
> 
> PS Does anyone find Thomas Muller bear a resemblance to British actor Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spiderman).


	7. The Sibling Zone

_Ned, there is a term called “the friend’s zone”. That’s when you and the person you like are stuck as “friends”. You two value your friendship so much that you are afraid to take the next step because of the fear that an ugly breakup will ruin your wonderful friendship. For some people, “friend’s zone” is the worst – because that’s like watching someone else driving the car you really wanted. You can ride along but you’ll never be the driver._

_But, trust me, there’s one another situation that’s far worse than “the friend’s zone” – the sibling’s zone._

Edouard Lancaster was a star soccer player at UCLA. Born and raised in England, he was an exchange student in high school and lived in U.S for seven years. His mother, writer and BBC TV producer Margaret Anjou, wanted to take him back to England before he graduates. But he insisted on staying.

Anne was the reason.

They went to the same private school, where they started dating.

And it became serious.

They kept their distant relationship where he was living in the west coast of US and she was in the east.

He was busy practicing and playing soccer while she was occupied with work and studies. Edouard had told her his dream of leading the English football team to win the World Cup. From time to time, Anne still mistaken his term “football” as American football instead of soccer. Edouard loved to tease her about that.

Edouard loved Anne, no doubt. But given his crazy schedule, he was far from a full-time boyfriend.

And he worried about Anne living on her own as much as Richard did.

He and Richard could not be more different in terms of physical features, nationality, and personality. Yet, both of them agreed on one thing: Anne needed someone to look after her.

_Ned, when you grow up to live on your own, there are three things you need to accomplish by yourself: moving into a new apartment, buying a new car, and finding a job with benefits. If you can achieve all three, then congratulations you are good on your own._

Anne was moving into a new apartment. Her current one was not good at very least. Bugs were in every corner. She complained to the apartment complex manager over and over again but nothing could be done. In the manager’s own words, the bugs were the failure of New York state government. Anne had debated if she should move, mostly because of her finances. Until one day, when she was moved to tears while watching the film _Casablanca_ , she blew her nose into a tissue with a bug inside! She freaked out and screamed and washed her face twenty times with all the facial cleansing products she had.

That was the last straw.

Searching for a new apartment was not easy. The cost, the location, the commodities, the neighbors—many things needed to consider.

Then it was the moving company. All of them claimed that they are the best and yet none of them were free of customer complaints.

Anne expressed her frustration and concerns to Edouard. Suddenly she found his accent incredibly annoying and she blasted at him over the phone.

“Hey, don’t holler at me!” Edouard said from the other end.

“Edouard, I don’t know what to do here!” Anne whined. “It’s so hard. The moving company…the lease agreements….OMG…”

“Do you need me to fly New York?” Edouard offered. “I can provide—“

“Oh no,” Anne refused right on hand. “I appreciate your help but I really want to do this on my own. Plus, you can’t miss your practice. You are the star player and you are on scholarship! I am a big girl and I can handle this!”

“Are you sure?” Edouard asked. “Anne, I’m sorry. I’m such an awful boyfriend. I mean, I should be by your side and help. But—“

“No, Edouard,” Anne assured him. “You are a wonderful boyfriend. Just don’t dump me when you got your World Cup.”

“Hey, not mine World Cup. England’s World Cup.”

There is never “I” in a team.

***

Anne finally settled on a moving company called “The Bosworth”. She had taken care of the apartment leases and was ready to move. The manager of the moving company, Tom Stanley, sent her an email informing their arrival time: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM.

She scratched her head and wondered what it means.

Does it mean that they arrive at 12:30 PM and leave at 2:00 PM or does it mean they can arrive at any time between 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM?

Anne was a little embarrassed to call and confirm. But then again, better safe than sorry.

“Hi,” she called and asked. “It’s Anne Neville again. I have received your email about your arrival time. Now, does it mean that you’d come at 12:30 PM and be done at two or does it mean that you’ll arrive at any time between 12:30 and 2?”

There was silence at the other end. Finally, Mr. Stanley spoke, “What do you think?”

Anne laughed nervously, “The former?”

“Yes, you got it correct,” Mr. Stanley said. “We will be there at around about. The time I sent you is only an estimation. But we shouldn’t be more be late for more than one hour.”

“Okay, thanks.”

That night, she checked all her boxes and luggage. She was moving from one bedroom apartment to another. She didn’t have much furniture other than her IKEA bedroom set, a bookshelf, a dresser, a coffee table, and a sofa. She was sort of living in a Spartan lifestyle compared to her luxurious past.

***

The next morning, she went to a café for breakfast. Coincidentally, it was the Rivers Café.

“Hi Anthony,” she greeted.

“Oh hi Anne,” Anthony Rivers greeted back. “Good to see you. What can I get for you today?”

“One bagel and a cup of coffee please.”

“Sure, and that will be $5.35.”

Anne opened her purse and went through her wallet, taking out give one-dollar bills and then a bunch of pennies and nickels.

“Where’s your gold credit card?” Anthony teased, not too kindly.

“Oh, I—“

“I can pay for that,” a voice said behind her.

Anne turned and saw Richard. “Oh hi Richard.”

“Hey, why don’t you go have a seat,” Richard offered. “Go.”

Anne gave him a grateful smile and went sit.

A few minutes later, Richard came with her coffee, bagel, a mouse cake, and a cookie.

“Watch,” he said as he carefully placed that cookie under the mouse cake—making it look like a mouse was eating a cookie. Anne laughed at that. “I remember how much you love the cakes, so I thought you can use one today.”

“Yeah, I remember too,” Anne said as she checked her phone.

“You seem agitated today, what’s the matter?”

Anne shrugged. “I’m supposed to move today. The moving company I called is a small one called ‘Bosworth” or something. I don’t know…maybe I missed something and they’d screw me.”

_Bosworth – for some reason Ned, that name gives me the chill even to this day._

“That won’t happen,” Richard assured her. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I sure hope so,” Anne said not too excitingly. “My first moving on my own, yay.”

After they finished their breakfast, Anne checked her phone again for the time and incoming call. “Is Edouard supposed to call you?”

“No,” Anne shook her head. “He’s in California right now. He called last night. He cares for me and he tries. But hey, that’s what you get if you’re seeing an athlete.”

“When are the movers coming to your place?” Richard asked.

“About 12:30, but they could come at 11:30 and finding me not there and moving on to the next—“

“Anne, relax.”

“I am, trust me,” she said as she checked the phone one last time. “I should head back. Thanks for the breakfast.”

“You’re welcome,” Richard said. Then he added, “Are you okay on your own? You’re sure that you don’t want a man by your side when they come?”

“No, I got it,” Anne insisted. “I can handle them.”

***

_12:00 PM_

Anne got a call from Mr. Stanley saying that they are running a bit behind.

_12:30 PM_

The movers still hadn’t arrived. Anne grew more and more agitated. Could they flew by and left when she wasn’t paying attention? After all, that was what Comcast did. Pacing back and forth in her apartment and running up and down the building, Anne was driving herself crazy.

_1:30 PM_

No sign of movers. Anne called and called. Either it was the Mr. Stanley’s voicemail or being told that they were still behind.

_2:30 PM_

Still no sign of movers. Anne decided to wait in front of the apartment building with her phone in hand. She waited and waited. She called and called.

Still no sign of movers.

It was 2.5 hours behind the agreed time.

What happened?

_3:30 PM_

Anne was still waiting in front of her apartment building. She was about to call again, but hesitated. Mr. Stanley was more and more mean to her.

What should she do next?

Pacing back and forth, she didn’t even notice when she bumped into someone.

“Anne!”

“Oh hi Richard,” Anne said, a bit embarrassed.

“What are you doing?”

“The movers are still not here yet!” Anne was about to cry. “I got their email saying that they’d be here about 12:30 PM, not AM but PM. It’s almost four and still no sign of them.”

“Did you call them?” Richard asked.

“I did, but he is getting annoyed with me!”

“Here, let’s call again,” Richard suggested. “Four hours late, that’s not acceptable!”

Anne dialed the number again and Mr. Stanley blasted at her. “IF YOU CALL ONE MORE TIME, I WILL CUT YOU OFF! YOU CALLED FUCKING 30 TIMES!”

“I did not!” Anne was furious. “I did not call 30 times and I have the record.”

“SO DO I! EVERY TIME YOU CALL YOU STALL TIME!”

“Is everything okay?” Richard asked.

“He’s yelling at me,” Anne said on the verge of tears. Richard grabbed her phone and spoke to Mr. Stanley, “Hey! You don’t yell at a girl like that! Have a heart! She’s moving on her own and she’s paying her bill and she deserves the service she’s paying for! She’s a bit agitated but it’s your fault! You don’t have to yell at her like that! Don’t you have any marketing skills?”

Richard went on and on with Mr. Stanley while Anne finally calmed down and sat on the steps. She watched as Richard talked and then hung up.

“They’ll be here in about an hour,” he told her. “They’re stuck with a picky family of ten.”

“Have you dealt with a moving company before?” Anne asked.

“Once,” Richard said. “It’s quite normal actually, especially with a small company. Large companies may be more on time, but they’re more expensive.”

“I thought I got it,” Anne said disappointingly. “I thought I can live on my own.”

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself,” Richard encouraged her. “You’re doing great. First time is always the hardest.”

“I guess.”

They waited and waited. Richard tried to cheer Anne up with the guessing games and jokes on their phone. Anne tried to laugh along, but her heart wasn’t in it.

When the movers arrived, it was almost 7:30 PM.

Richard stayed with her all the way, making sure the contract stated the right price amount and that the movers are careful with Anne’s furniture. The movers were Mr. Stanley’s stepson Harry and his brother-in-law Jesper Tudor; it was a family business. Mr. Stanley was apologetic and gave Anne an extra discount and waved the tips.

By the time they were done, it was 10:00 PM.

“Now I can breath,” Anne said with a relief and rewarded the movers with a box of diet cokes.

After the movers left, Richard asked, “You shouldn’t do that.” He was referring her thanking them.

“Don’t worry,” Anne said. “Those cokes are three weeks old.”

She got her revenge.

“Thanks Richard,” Anne said gratefully and gave him a hug. “You are like this wonderful big brother I never had!”

And Richard was _not_ happy to hear that.

_That phrase, Ned, literally broke my heart._

***

A few weeks later, when Richard went grab lunch on his break, he walked into Edouard Lancaster.

“Hi,” he smiled. “Can I have a word with you?”

“Sure,” Richard replied simply.

The two sat.

“I really want to say how grateful I am that you looked after Anne,” Edouard said sincerely. “How long have you known her?”

“Very long time,” Richard replied. “Since she’s in grammar school.”

“Wow, so you are like a brother to her,” Edouard said. “Annie is the best. What I love the most about her is how she doesn’t judge people and how she brings laughter. She is the most innocent and lovely girl I ever know. Two years ago she fell out with her parents and decided to earn her independence. Boy, I wish I’m that bloody brave with my mum…”

Then he went on and on and on and on.

And it ended with a handshake and a brotherly hug. “Thank you Richard. Maybe one day we can all go out and have dinner together.”

Richard smiled with a middle finger sticking on behind his back.

_Ned, I’m still surprised on how much your mother has in common with that Edouard Lancaster. They are both bad drivers; they are both suck living on their own; they are both trying to get out of their parents’ control; and they are both the most talkative person in the world. Truly, if that Edouard Lancaster is still around, your mother would probably be married to him and live in England in a miserable life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mouse cake and the cookie is a reference to the time when Anne was crazy about Richard like a mouse over a cookie.
> 
> If you live in US and need to relocate, there's the moving company and internet cable company. Comcast has this reputation on leaving on you even if you are a few minutes late to meet on the agreed time. As for moving company, no one is on-time 100% because their marketing strategy is to be everyone's best friend. Anne's situation is not that uncommon but unexpected for those who move the first time.
> 
> If you watch TV show "Friends", then you'd understand the term "friend's zone." 
> 
> Comments please!


	8. Home is Where the Heart is, Part 1

_Ned, let me tell you the most frightening scene I ever saw in my life is: catfights. Yes, physical fights between women. The setting of the scenario was the River’s Café. The cats were Aunt Jackie Rivers, your Grandmother Ann, and your Grandmother Cecily. The injured party in the end was your uncle Anthony Rivers. And the origin of that catfight was no one else other than your mother._

Anne was in a relationship with Edouard Lancaster while Richard was crazy about her. Her boyfriend Edouard was hardly around since he was in California studying and playing soccer. So, every time Richard saw Anne it was painful. As always, Anne encountered problems in life on almost daily basis. She needed help, and Richard was there for her. But, Richard knew that she wasn’t _his girl_.

One day, he saw Anne at the River’s Café, looked very down.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

She shook her head.

“What is the matter?”

“Edouard is not flying in this weekend,” she murmured. “It’s my 21st birthday this Saturday. He planned to come but he has practice. He offered to pay for my flight but then his mummy-dearest said no. I’m still not comfortable talking to my family. So much for a birthday…”

“Hey, why don’t you come to hang out with us?” Richard offered.

“Us as?”

“Me and my pals.”

“Is it okay?” Anne wasn’t so sure. “I mean, I’m only a college student and you guys are graduated adults.”

“Anne, it’ll be at my place and I’m inviting you,” Richard insisted.

Finally Anne let out a smile. “Okay, I’ll come. Thanks.”

After she left, Richard went to Anthony and ordered a huge cheesecake of coconut, Anne’s favorite flavor.

“I want it freshly made and available this Saturday. Make sure her name is on it,” he told Anthony.

***

The next day he saw her again, alone at the River’s Café, staring at a cup of cappuccino. With a spoon, she mixed and mixed. Then, she stared at it.

“What are you doing?” Richard laughed and sat next to her.

“Looking into my future,” Anne said. “I read it from somewhere that if you want to know your future, take a pail of water and make it swirl. Look hard into hit and you’d see your future. Any type of H2O can be a good substitute, including cappuccino.”

Richard laughed harder after hearing that. “You believe that mumbo-jumbo?”

“Hey!” Anthony Rivers objected. “Don’t say that. Ma used to be a fortune-teller and you are offending her!”

“Sorry!” Richard gave him an annoying look. Mr. Rich Rivers had retired a few years ago and his oldest son Anthony took over as manager. Unlike his father, who was wise and patient, Anthony was a bit imaginative and not too patient mature.

Laying the cards on the table, Anne told him, “Edouard is going back to England to play soccer for the national team. His mother is also in England with the rest of his family. He asked me to go to England with him.”

Hearing that was like a knife cutting into Richard’s heart.

“And what did you say?” Richard asked, fearing the worst.

“I don’t know,” Anne said honestly. “I really don’t. I mean, me in England? I never went to England my entire life. I saw films and TV shows taking place in England, but that is it. I don’t know if I can fit in or settle there.”

“Really?” Richard was relieved to hear that.

“Actually, no,” Anne changed her tone after some thinking. “I do study history and studying abroad is an option. There are so many castles and historical sites in England. It can be an excellent opportunity too.”

How Richard hated himself for asking “really”? He should’ve said “I know” or “you’re right.”

“Yeah, a future no one knows,” Richard muttered.

“Charlize Theron flew to US to pursue a modeling career from South Africa and now she’s a big star with an Oscar,” Anne continued. “Maybe after I fly to England and become a huge novelist or TV producer. Oh I don’t know…I’m too imaginative. Maybe one day I’d be standing next to Natalie Dormer holding my own BAFTA. What I’m saying…”

She went on and on and on.

“Have you talked to your parents about this?” Richard asked.

“No, not yet,” Anne said. “You know what they’d say.”

“They’d say _no_?”

“No, _nuts_.”

***

On the next day, Anne was at the River’s Café again, doing the same thing—staring into that cup of cappuccino. Richard knew where to find her; by know, he knew her habits like the order of his hair.

“You’re still debating?” He asked as he took a seat across from her.

“Yeah,” Anne said. “I call my parents and talked to them. Just as I foresaw, they are anything but supportive.”

“Really? I’m so surprised.”

“Mom says that she’ll disown me.”

“She doesn’t mean that.”

“Yes she did.”

“How can she? You are over 18 and she can’t disown you anymore,” Richard laughed.

But Anne was not in a laughing mood. “I don’t know…I’m so troubled. Edouard cares so much for me, and I care so much for him. It’s hard enough that we’re on the different coasts of this country. And now, he’s flying into a different continent. It’s heartbreaking.”

After a long silence, Richard spoke, “You know Anne, you and I have spent a lot of time at this place.”

She nodded, “Yeah, we have. I remember, I was only thirteen and I came here. And you came here. You and your croissant; me and my lemon cake.”

Back then, she was a teenage girl who was so crazy and obsessed with him.

“Anne, I know you are troubled, but life is always about difficult decisions. Yes, no, maybe. When I was applying for college, I got an offer at Columbia and at Harvard. Then University of Virginia also gave me an offer with full tuition coverage. I liked the program Columbia has, but UVA meant big savings.”

“How did you decide?”

“I flipped a coin, heads for Columbia and tail for UVA.”

“Really?” Anne was not too convinced.

“No,” Richard shook his head. “I chose Columbia because I followed my heart. And it’s close to home. Home is where the heart is.”

Anne gently repeated after him, as if he handed her the key to solve the puzzle. “Home and heart go together, don’t they?”

“Think, Anne,” Richard continued, hoping to guide her into the right path. “Who is the first person coming to your mind when you need help? Where would you want to be if you want to be happy?”

Anne shrugged. “I guess…I don’t know. I never considered these before.”

“Well, now you need to,” Richard said. He took her hand and said, “Think about it and be honest to yourself. Don’t let anyone else’s opinion affect decision. It’s your decision.”

Anne nodded. “Sure.”

Not too afar, Anthony watched and saw everything. He raised an eyebrow.

***

“Careful, careful, careful,” Anthony instructed the movers and they carried an old piano into the café.

“Anthony what are you doing?” Jackie asked, bewildered.

“Ma, I’m going to make our family café a magical place that makes big money!” Anthony said excitedly.

“By introducing a band or a music performer?”

“No,” Anthony replied as he paid the movers. “I’ll explain to you later.”

“Where did you get this thing?” Jackie asked, referring to the piano. “When did you buy this?”

“I didn’t,” Anthony told her. “It belongs to Ed’s mom, Cecily.”

“Is she okay with this?”

“Ed says it’s okay.”

“Ed can’t speak for his mother!” Jackie showed disapproval. “You send this back right now!”

“Ma, I’m not stealing this; I’m only borrowing this.”

“And exactly how is this thing going to make big money for us?”

“Well, Ma, you remember Anne Neville, right? Richard Neville’s daughter?”

“Yes.” Jackie folded her arms.

“She is seeing Edouard Lancaster, a soccer superstar at UCLA. He is being recruited by the English national team!”

“So?”

“It’s huge!” Anthony could not be more excited.

“How? Nobody cares for soccer in this country; that Lancaster is not a football star. Plus, what does this piano has to do with soccer?”

“Ma, you know the film _Casablanca_ right?” Anthony explained. “Anne and Richard York had been here, talking and talking. Based on their conversation, I’m telling you, they are the real life Ingrid Bergman’s Elsa and Humphrey Bogart’s Rick!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Anne is debating on whether she should go with Edouard Lancaster to England. Richard was here giving her advice. Based on his movements and words, he is in love with her and he wants her to stay just like Rick wanted Elsa to stay on his side.”

“And then what? Anne is going to pull a gun on him?”

“No! Richard is going to ask me to play the piano, as ‘play it Sam’”, Anthony said while acting it out. “Eventually he is going to let her go, and tells her ‘we will always have the River’s’. Then years later, Anne will be married to Edouard Lancaster, a real superstar in England, where soccer is anything but huge! Can you imagine, Edouard led the English team and won the World Cup…he and Anne became the next David and Victoria Beckham…and their romance starts right here?”

“Anthony,” Jackie wasn’t into it at all. “You are running a business you have to think business, not madness. You take gave this piano back to Cecily right now and apologize for your actions.”

“Ma, no offense, but you are not business-minded either,” Anthony defended himself. “You never went to college. You don’t even have a GED. Have you done anything huge or big in your life? Yes, you have your ‘magic’ but have you appeared on any talk show? Or offered your skills to the CIA or the FBI to solve hard cases? No. So why don’t you sit back and allow me to take this from here.”

Jackie was fuming.

***

Saturday, Anne’s birthday.

Richard drove Anne to his place and walked her to his apartment.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed. She did, and he escorted her into the apartment.

“Surprise!”

Anne was startled and she opened her eyes. It was all Richard’s friends, including Francis, Rob and Kate. A huge coconut cake was on the table with “Happy Birthday Anne” scribed on it.

Needless to say, Anne was moved to tears.

“Here’s your first,” Richard poured her a glass of wine as everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” None of them really knew Anne, but they did it for Richard.

Anne made a wish and blew out the candles. She then took the wine from Richard and drank.

The party continued with chatting, drinking, and laughing. All his pals tried to impress Anne with trivia facts on Richard. How caring he can be; how cool he is; he smart he is; and how funny he can be.

Towards the end of the day, Richard found Anne staring out from the window.

“Hey,” he approached. And she looked at him, and gave him a smile.

“Richard, I don’t know how to thank you,” Anne said genuinely.

“You don’t have to.”

“But you have done so much for me,” Anne continued. “That evening at the café, you really helped me understand myself. Home is where the heart is…it’s true after all.”

“So you made your decision?”

“Yes, I have!” Anne said excitedly. “I have decided to follow Edouard and finish my degree in England!”

_That moment nearly killed me. Later, it became true, literally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!
> 
> To learn more about the film Casablanca, see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


	9. Home is Where the Heart is, Part 2

Cecily came downstairs and found her granddaughter Bess sitting in the living room. It was certainly a surprise; Bess was only seven and her parents didn’t call.

“Bess, what are you doing here?” Cecily asked.

Wiping her tears, Bess choked, “Dad makes me taking piano lessons. I’m not good at it and I hate it.”

“Do your Mom and Dad know that you’re here?”

“No, I didn’t tell them.”

Cecily sat down next to her. “You are upset. You must be really unhappy.”

“Yes, I am unhappy, very,” Bess told her. “I don’t want to go home anymore. Can I stay with you Nana?”

“Bess, you can’t do that,” Cecily lectured gently. “I can understand you’re not happy, but you can’t run away from home like this. I’m going to call your Dad; he’s probably worried.”

Bess was silent.

“Why do I have to take piano lessons?” The young girl blurted out.

“Because your father wanted you to learn and try different things,” Cecily explained while playing with her phone. “Music is in your genes Bess. I am an excelled piano player myself.”

“Really?” Bess asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Cecily put down her phone and said, “I played piano since age five. When I was fifteen I won the New England contest and among of the many audiences was your grandfather Dickon. In fact, he bought me a piano to celebrate our ten year anniversary.”

“Does Dad play piano?”

“No, but he tried.”

“Uncle George?”

“No, but he tried too.”

“Uncle Richard?”

“Oh yes, and he’s a talented musician!” Cecily said proudly. “Now, come with me and let me show you how music is in your genes—our genes!”

“But how are you going to do that with the piano not here?” Bess asked.

“I beg your pardon?” Cecily did not know what she was talking about.

“The piano is at Nana Jackie’s café,” Bess explained. “Uncle Tony and Dad brought it there.”

“Impossible!” Cecily laughed. “I never give them permission—“

“But it’s true!” Bess insisted. “Mom took me to the café and Uncle Tony showed it to me. He says that Dad helped.”

Without a word, Cecily sprint upstairs.

The old piano was nowhere in sight.

***

“Earth to Richard!” Francis tapped him on the head. “Earth is calling for Richard!”

“Oh…yes, Francis,” Richard finally turned his attention back to his pal. “What’s up?”

“I’m asking you for the 100th time, do you want to go grab a cup of coffee?” Francis was losing his patience. “What’s with you lately?”

“I’m not in the mood,” Richard said carelessly.

“Let me guess, it’s Anne, isn’t it?” Francis teased.

Richard refused to say anything.

“So what did she say?” Francis pressed. “Don’t tell me after all these wonderful things you did for her and she still chose that British dude?”

“You got it,” Richard said sadly. “You know what’s funny…about ten years ago she was so crazy about it as if I was the center of her world. Now, the roles got reversed. Am I being punished or what?”

“What comes around do go around,” Francis laughed. “I remembered you were so annoyed with her that you don’t even want her around. What happened? How did you end up crazy about her?”

“I wish I know,” Richard muttered. “I never believe in these mumbo-jumbo things about magic and fairies. But sometimes I wonder if Cupid does exist, shooting love arrows aimlessly. After seeing her after all these years, I got shot. Suddenly, she’s…different.”

“Did you tell her?” Francis asked.

“Tell her what?”

“About your feelings!”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Richard desperately wanted to change the subject. “It’s her life. If she chooses England then she’s going to England. I can’t control her life.”

“Why don’t we go get a cup of coffee and talk about something else?” Francis was leading Richard toward the River’s Café.

“Oh no…no…anywhere but there!” Richard protested. Too many painful memories.

As he was walking away from the River’s Café, Francis stopped him. “Hey, is that your mom? She looks pretty upset.”

Richard turned and saw it from the window. It was Cecily, pointing finger at Tony, obviously yelling. Without a hesitation, he went straight into the café.

***

“How dare you!” Cecily angrily stared at Anthony Rivers. “I never give you my permission!”

“Aunt Cecily, I’m only borrowing it—“

“You’re stealing it! If I were to pick up a phone and call the police, you’d be in jail within a blink of an eye!”

Behind her, Richard came in. “Mom, what is going on?”

Cecily grabbed her youngest son by the arm. “Dickon! This man is stealing my piano! You tell him! Tell him to give my piano back to me!”

Raising both hands in the air, Richard tried to calm his mother down. “Mom, let’s calm down. We’ll—“

“No, I will not calm down!” Cecily stood her ground. “Ed went behind my back and gave this loser permission to take my piano! This piano is a gift from your father to celebrate our ten years together! You know how much it means to me! How dare he! How dare Ed! I’m telling you ever since Ed married this blonde bimbo sister of his all of his sense of morality went down the drain!”

The more she talked the angrier she became. She was about to hit Anthony, literally, had Richard not holding her back.

“Anthony,” Richard said to him. “Just give the piano back to my mother and we can put this behind us.”

To his surprise, Anthony’s response was: no.

“What? Why?” Richard didn’t get it at all. “What do you need this piano for?”

Before Anthony could say anything, another angry woman barged into the River’s Café.

“Richard York! I finally found you!”

All three turned and it was Ann Beauchamp, mother to Isabel and Anne Neville, staring hatefully at Richard.

And Richard didn’t even know where to begin.

“Oh hi Mrs. Neville,” he managed to say as nice as he could. “Long time no see.”

“You…you…” Ann Beauchamp Neville was shaking as she approached Richard. “You…you…YOU! YOU POISONED MY DAUGHTER’S MIND AND TURNED HER AGAINST ME! YOU!” Before Richard could say anything, she grabbed him by the shirt and started to pull his hair. Cecily was shocked and didn’t know what to do as her youngest son struggled with the dark brunette middle-aged woman. Taking a few breaths, she went forward and pulled the two apart.

“Okay, what in the world is going on?” Cecily demanded as Ann tried to hit Richard again; Richard was rubbing his head.

“Him!” Ann pointed her finger at Richard. “He poisoned my daughter’s mind and turned her against me and her family! Thanks to him now Annie is abandoning us and going to England!”

“And exactly what does my Dickon has to do with your daughter’s decision to go abroad?” Cecily stepped before her son protectively. “What gives you the right to attack my boy?”

“Richard is not a boy, that’s one!” Ann Beauchamp snorted. “And second, my own daughter Anne said something to me that…oh…that I could never imagine! After I demanded where she gets these ideas from…who she was talking to…and your name came up! You!” Anger overcame her again and she launched to hit Richard.

Only to be stopped by Cecily, whose strengths should not be underestimated.

“Don’t you dare to hurt my boy! You mad woman!”

With that said, the two women proceeded into a fierce catfight, with Anthony and Richard watching.

“Your sons are all sissies who are born to be whipped by women!” Ann Beauchamp yelled. “My daughter Isabel made the most correct decision when she dumped your son George!”

“You snobby-no-good-on-your-own-bitch!” Cecily yelled back. “Don’t you ever underestimate the Yorks! It’s you and your family who do not measure up to us!”

The two women scratched, pulled, kicked, and screamed. Anthony ran to his mom. “Ma, do something!”

Jackie only shrugged. “What can I do? Who am I? I don’t even have a GED. I never went to college. I am not being consulted by TV show host or the CIA or the MI6! And I certainly am not interested to be on Jerry Springer’s Show! I’m going to sit back and let you take this over.”

Cecily York and Ann Beauchamp were at each other’s throat. And Ann Beauchamp refused to let go her beloved Gucci purse.

In the midst of the fight, that Gucci purse was thrown in to the air, and right into the face of Richard York.

Richard York stumbled back and bumped right into Anthony Rivers, who in turn fell back and hit his head against the table.

And fell unconscious.

“Richard!” Cecily ran to her son.

“Anthony!” Jackie ran to her son.

“My purse!” Ann Beauchamp ran to pick up her purse.

It was a total disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please! This is crazy, I know.


	10. Home is Where the Heart is, Part 3

Anne came uneasily before Cecily York’s house.

Her mother came home very upset, analyzing every angle of her Gucci purse. She didn’t reach out to her husband, knowing that he would not have the time or patience to listen to her complaints and problems. So she called Isabel and told her everything; Isabel in turn told Anne, who was more than shocked. When she told her mother about her decision to go to England, she didn’t mean to bring Richard up. She only said that she followed her heart, referring to “home is where the heart is”. Ann Beauchamp asked her where she got the idea from, Anne mentioned Richard’s name.

She never dreamed that her mother would march down to the River’s Café and make a scene.

Isabel told her about the fight between Cecily and their mother; and that Richard got hurt in the midst of the fight.

Anne did go to Richard’s apartment but no one answered.

She wanted to call him but was afraid that he won’t answer.

Anyway, she felt she owe the Yorks an apology. And so, here she was.

She rang the doorbell and waited for Cecily to answer; she would not be surprised if Cecily shut the door in her face. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps. And Cecily answered the door.

“Hi,” Anne greeted anxiously. “I…I…I have come here to apologize for my mother…she shouldn’t have…and I didn’t even expect…”

To her surprise, Cecily said generously, “Come in Anne.”

***

At the River’s Café, Anthony Rivers, with a band-aid on his head, was cleaning up when Richard walked in.

“Hi,” he greeted.

“Hi,” Anthony greeted back.

After the fierce catfight between Mrs. York and Mrs. Neville, Anthony got a cut on the forehead and Richard got smacked in the face; but that was it. No one was hurt too badly.

And the piano remained at the café.

Richard called Ed and told him what happened. “How could you take the piano without consulting mom?” Richard asked him on the phone. “Come on, Ed. You are a high school teacher and you should know this better than anyone else.”

Ed felt pretty bad too. “Dickon, let’s not talk about this anymore. I will go see mom and apologize. Anthony is only borrowing it for the time being. He will give it back to her.” Then he changed the subject. “How did Mrs. Neville get into the picture?”

“I wish I know,” Richard lied. In his heart, he knew exactly why.   

“You and Anne Neville, what is it between the two of you?” Ed asked. “Are you seeing each other or what?”

“No we’re not seeing each other,” Richard replied.

“Does she know what happened?”

“No, not yet. I’m sure soon she will.”

To Richard, the piano and the fight were the least of the problems. His main concern was Anne, who was leaving the country soon. She would fly across the continent and into the arms of another man. Should he say something to convince her to change her mind?

What if something happened to her? What if she got lost in London? What if she got thrown out by Edouard’s mother? Who would be there for her?

Here, at the River’s Café, so many things had occurred. Years ago, she was here waiting for him and buying him breakfast. Each morning, she bought him a croissant, added butter and plastic knife, and folded the napkin into a swan; and asked Mr. Rivers to make sure that he gets it. Her parents probably didn’t approve and thus lowered her allowance. But she didn’t care and continued to shower him with her gifts. After Jackie Rivers lectured him, he stopped accepting them by simply not coming to River’s Café anymore. From not too afar, he watched as she walked out of the café, with that bag of croissant in her arms and wiping her tears. Years later, he saw her again and the roles reversed. Still, they spent a lot of decent time here together.

Home is where the heart is, he had told her. What he hoped for was for her to see that Richard York is right here in New York, where her home is; and she’d stay with him.

But she chose Edouard Lancaster as her heart.

Lifting up the piano cover, Richard sat and played the _Moonlight Sonata_.

Despite Anthony wanted to play “Sam”, he could not play the piano at all. Richard, or “Rick”, was playing the piano while his heart was breaking slowly as his love was about to leave him. After finishing _Moonlight Sonata_ , he changed the tune and began to play the song “Let Her Go”. Anthony, although could not play the piano, was not bad of a singer. While Richard played, he sang.

_Well you only need the light when it's burning low_   
_Only miss the sun when it starts to snow_   
_Only know you love her when you let her go…_

_Staring at the bottom of your glass_   
_Hoping one day you'll make a dream last_   
_But dreams come slow and they go so fast_   
  
_You see her when you close your eyes_   
_Maybe one day you'll understand why_   
_Everything you touch surely dies…_

_Well you see her when you fall asleep_   
_But never to touch and never to keep_   
_'Cause you loved her too much_   
_And you dived too deep…_

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_   
_Only hate the road when you're missin' home_   
_Only know you love her when you let her go_   
  
_And you let her go…_

Those words cut into his heart like knives. Should he let her go?

After the song was finished, Richard sat still and then closed the piano cover. What was the use? It was her choice. He thought about the day at the DMV where she failed her first driver’s test. If only he got up and go to her…if he offered her lessons in driving…and then gave her support when she decided to live on her own…What would things be like now? Probably they’d be living together in an apartment; him working and she’s studying. He’d come home from work and she’d greet him awkwardly and then informed him how she tried to cook but messed it up…

Oh these could’ve been…

“Why are you still here?” Anthony said to him. “Go get her!”

“Get who?” Richard replied in a bad mood.

“Natalie Dormer!” Anthony joked. “No, that girl Anne Neville. Go to her and tell her to stay!”

“Hey, you stay out of this and mind your own!” Richard retorted back and then left.

***

Richard did not go home. Instead he went to his mother’s. He and Cecily had a good, deep bond; whenever he encountered personal issues, he’d come to Cecily to talk about it. Lots of things about him only Cecily knew. To his surprise, his mother was more than happy seeing him.

“Oh come on in my boy,” she pulled him inside. Then she ran into the back. “Guess who’s here as well?”

Behind her was Anne.

“Well then, I’ll leave and let you two talk. Here’re some croissants and cookies!”

She put the sweets on the coffee table and left.

“Hi,” Anne said softly. “Your face, does it still hurt?”

“It’s fine.” He dismissed it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Don’t worry about it,” he stopped her before she could continue. Both only stared at the croissants and the cookies; neither took a bite.

“I still have two more days before they charge a fee for flight cancellation,” Anne said slowly. “I can’t help it but dwelling on should I cancel the trip or should I go. Technically I shouldn’t have any hesitation. But with all these happening I wonder maybe I’m being too selfish on going to England without considering—“

“It’s your life Anne,” Richard told her and took her hand. “You need to consider for yourself.”

“Do you want me to stay?” She asked him.

Richard found himself lost in words.

“Leaving everything behind is…is not what I really wanted,” Anne continued. “It’s like…if I were to go now I’m leaving something behind.”

“Do you have a plan in England?” He asked her.

“Yeah, to be queen,” she joked. “Edouard’s mother works for BBC and she’s a writer too. She said that she can secure me a position in BBC.”

“Really?” Richard didn’t find it convincing.

“Truly,” Anne said. “She told me on the phone.”

“What are you going to do for BBC?” _Secretary, janitor, security…_

“Production assistant or editing or something. We talked and she said that she likes my imagination and creativity. All my life I loved writing and entertainment. Nothing makes me happier seeing people having a good time reading my works, historical fiction or not. I know it’s not a legitimate career like doctors and lawyers, but still it’s my dream. It’s happening.”

Her eyes brightened when she talked about her dream career—something Richard hadn’t seen before.

_What I said next was something completely out of my mind._

“Then what’s your hesitation?” Richard said. “Go. Go for your dream.”

“Really?”

“Anne,” Richard looked into her eyes and said, “Charlize Theron flew from South Africa to United States to pursue her modeling career and now she’s a big movie star. You have to believe in your dream.”

_Ned, to this day I still don’t know why I said all these things. What I had in mind was the exact opposite._

After a long moment, Anne stood up and said, “You’re right. I should believe in my dream. This is happening. I am going to be a TV writer and my show is going to be huge! And I am going to dress up to the nine, holding my BAFTA award standing next to Natalie Dormer!”

She then flew to Richard and hugged him dearly. “Thank you Richard! You are such a good advisor! I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

_Later, it became true literally._

***

Anne had four suitcases packed and ready to fly to England. Her parents begrudgingly came to see her off; they still didn’t agree to her decisions. Isabel came too and hugged her dearly. None of her family truly believed in her “big dream” of becoming a famous writer or show creator.

Meanwhile, Richard was on his way to the airport to say goodbye after a long talk with Ed.

“Richard, what are you doing?” Ed asked. “Go to her and tell her how you feel.”

“No Ed,” Richard shrugged. “She made her decision and is leaving for good. I have to let her go.”

“What? Why?” Ed pulled Richard off his chair. “If you love her then don’t let her go! Come on Dickon! You don’t have much time!”

“It’s not going to make any difference!”

“Yes it will. She’s only going after you said _go for it_. Don’t let her go like this.” Ed took out his phone. “Twenty-eight minutes Dickon. And she’d be gone for good.”

After a few more hesitation, Richard bolted out and ran to a taxi.

_Ned, that day is the worst day of my life. The taxi went slow like a snail. I felt like I want to shake the driver. When I got there, your mother is all ready to go. But she was waiting for someone. I guess it was me._

“Richard!” Anne’s eyes brightened when she saw him.

“Anne,” Richard stopped before he could go come any closer. “You’re ready to go?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Ditto.”

“Will we see each other again?” She asked.

“We will. I’m sure of it.”

“However life goes,” she muttered. “We will always have New York.”

Taking a deep breath, Richard looked at her for a long time. Then he patted her on the arm and said, “Here’s looking at you kid.”

Reluctantly, she picked up her bags and turned to go. After she passed the security gate, she looked back non-stop and waved. Richard remained there until she was completely off sight.

_I stayed and watched as her flight took off. At the time, I asked myself why I let her go. The answer is that I love her. When you love someone, Ned, you’d sacrifice your own happiness for their sake—however painful it is. Later, I have to say that I regretted my decision. Had I stopped her, we would’ve been together much sooner and spared from several unhappy episodes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Here's looking at you kid" and "We will always have New York [Paris]" are quotes from the film Casablanca.
> 
> Comments please.


	11. Anne Neville: the new feminist icon

_Ned, your mother has always been an interesting person—failed at things most people achieve and achieve at things most people fail. When she flew to England to pursue her dream to be a TV writer or creator or producer or something, no one truly believed in her, including me. I know, Charlize Theron did score big after her mother gave her a plane ticket flying to US; but that does not happen very often. Chances are 0.0000001%. So many young women traveled to Los Angeles, New York, or even Las Vegas with the dream of being the very next Marilyn Monroe. But most of them ended up going home or waiting their dream come true while surviving on low wage jobs. Your mother flew to London with the same dream. Who could’ve known? It came true._

It was one year after Anne went to London, and now she was a big name.

As an author of a popular young adult book series, she was earning the big bucks.

Her series was called _So Ricky_. Written in the first person narrative, it was told by the female protagonist Mercedes, an ambitious young woman taking over her late father’s entrepreneur business. The character Ricky was her father’s new business legal rep. The two characters, Mercedes and Ricky, were on a business trip, where Mercedes recalled the ups and downs they went through to keep her late father’s business alive. Each chapter began with the phrase, “So Ricky…”

It was a huge hit, especially among young women from high school and college. The character Mercedes was a typical material girl but with brains and ambition. Her father never had the belief in her and attempted to leave the business to Ricky. Mercedes and Ricky had a belligerent love-hate relationship. In the end, Mercedes proved herself a wise business woman and managed to finish her degree at Harvard University. Ricky, although initially looked down on Mercedes, eventually learned to admire her and even fell in love with her. In her novels, Anne depicted Ricky as “tall, handsome, charismatic and a deadpan snarker.”

Girls loved Ricky to death.

The critics liked the plot and praised Anne’s sense of humor; they hailed it as “ _Games of Thrones meet Legally Blonde_.” It got even more popular when BBC announced that they are adapting her novels into a 10-espisode TV series, with Margaret Anjou as the writer, director, and executive producer. Anne Neville would also be a producer. All fans were jubilant, piling the photos of their favorite hot actors—hoping that one of them would play Ricky.

Meanwhile, Anne and Edouard Lancaster’s relationship came into the light. Edouard’s World Cup dream also came true. Leading the English team, Edouard kicked in the very goal that made the English team victorious. England won the World Cup with 1-0 versus Argentina. On the TV screen, all English footballers joyously hugging each other and sexy female fans; but not Edouard Lancaster. Instead, he climbed up to the stadium to his sweetheart, Anne Neville. He hugged her dearly as cameras followed him. He then took her into the field with his arms around her tightly. The two cried together and kissed.

The journalists snapped a picture of their big romantic kiss right there in the field.

It appeared on magazine covers all over the world.

Anne Neville and Edouard Lancaster were hailed as the next David and Victoria Beckham.

***

In the US, Anthony Rivers was jumping up and down in excitement. He was busying calling the newspapers and the magazines, promoting the River’s Café as where “the Lancaster/Neville romance” began. The piano that he “borrowed” from Cecily was now returned since he didn’t need it anymore. After months of hard work, he managed to score a live interview with _Good Morning America_.

“Good morning America!” News anchor Paula Harris, standing before the River’s Café, spoke to the camera. “This is Paula Harris live on this beautiful morning before the River’s Café in New York. I’m here with the owner and manager Mr. Anthony Rivers. Mr. Rivers, can you tell us how the Ms. Anne Neville met the soccer superstar Edouard Lancaster?”

Like a robot, Anthony Rivers stood woodenly next to Paula Harris.

“Mr. Rivers?” Paula Harris asked again, with her reporting microphone to his face.

“Oh…oh!” Now Anthony realized that he is now live on TV. Nervousness and excitement consumed him. Clearing his throat, he stuttered, “Uhm…oh hi everyone. Hi Mom, hi Dad, hi Liz, hi Mary, hi Kathy…” He went on and on and said hi to all his family members. “I…I am so…so excited to be here…boy…am I ten pounds fatter now? Oh that’s a joke…I mean…hi everyone…hi world…And here’s where the romance between international best-seller author Anne Neville and soccer star Edouard Lancaster begin. Shall we go inside?”

He led the way as Paula Harris and her cameraman followed him.

_Ned, Anthony Rivers and your Uncle George share a common trait—a smart mouth full of exaggeration and lies._

“Here is where Anne Neville met Edouard Lancaster,” Anthony pointed a table with two empty chairs. “Edouard bought Anne a croissant every day since Anne was so poor that she could not afford it.”

_Fact: your mother came from an affluent family and she bought a croissant for me on daily basis._

“They met in here in secret,” Anthony continued. “Their parents disapproved their relationship due to their economic differences.”

_Fact: your mother and Edouard Lancaster both came from rich families. Their parents never showed disapproval then._

“And one day, Edouard Lancaster was taken back to England by his mother. Before he left, he promise Anne that he’d write. Anne’s parents are cold and cruel and refused to allow their daughter to contact him, so Lancaster mailed his letter to me. Ms. Neville used to come here every day asking if Lancaster’s letters arrive. She was sitting here, writing love letters to him and asked us to deliver it for her. We served her a mouse cake every time she was here. She thought it was our kindness, but unbeknownst to her, Lancaster paid us a good sum of money to cover all the sweets she could’ve bought.”

_Fact: Teenagers at your mother’s age stopped writing letters and used emails, online chattings, and text instead. And it was I who bought sweets for your mother._

“Wow,” Paula Harris muttered with her hand covering her heart. “How romantic!”

“Back then, I knew that they’d be an item,” Anthony said proudly.

“How did you know?” Paula Harris asked.

“Well, my family is a very special one,” Anthony said. “Lots of people think this is crazy, but we are the descendants of Melusine, a water goddess who’s semi-fish and semi-human.”

“So you are saying that you are a descendant of a mermaid?” Paula laughed.

“No,” Anthony said seriously. “Melusine was a real river goddess who fell in love with a mortal man. All her descendants, especially females, endured her hardship of walking paths of men, which is why all my female relatives are strong women.”

“Men as humans or men as males?” Paula asked.

“Is there a difference?”

“You said that all your ancestor’s children endured hardships of walking paths of men. Men could mean humans as men and women or just males. Since your ancestress Melusina was a water goddess and lived in water I suppose, wouldn’t be just as hard for her to walk in the path of women as walking in the path of men?”

Anthony Rivers was out of words.

Paula smiled at the camera and then asked, “Mr. Rivers, are you saying that as descendent of a water goddess you inherited some sort of magical powers?”

“Oh yes,” Anthony replied, with his hands in the pocket. “We having seeings, passed on from our mothers. Of my fourteen siblings, I’m the only one who inherited it. I know it is going to happen because I saw it.”

“Do you see them getting married any time soon? How many kids?”

“I don’t see anything yet,” Anthony said, blushing. “But I believe I will.”

“Do you have anything else to say Mr. Rivers?” Paula Harris asked him.

“Yes,” Anthony said, with tears in his eyes. “My mother is proud of me.”

At home, watching _Good Morning America_ , Jackie Rivers covered her face with her hands and muttered, “I have no son.”

***

“Mom, can we watch Graham Norton tonight?” Bess asked Liz excitedly.

“Did you finish your homework Bess?” Ed asked his oldest daughter. “Your grade is falling.”

“I promise you I will not fall behind classes,” Bess said beseechingly. “But I really want to see Anne Neville on the show.”

“Wait, Anne Neville is appearing on Graham Norton’s show?” Liz raised an eyebrow. “Oh wow.”

“Anne is a famous writer now,” Cecily, Ed’s second daughter chimed in. “My teacher read her works and  said that her books are cool. She loves the guy Ricky.”

“Mercedes is so funny,” Bess added. “My teacher loves the series. I heard there’s going to make a TV show on the books.”

“Get out!” Cecily’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Okay girls,” Ed gave in. “We’ll watch Graham Norton tonight.”

Finally, it was evening and the York girls’ highly anticipated moment arrived. The whole York family was watching, including Ed’s mother Cecily. The Nevilles were watching it too.

“Turn it on!” Cecily rushed her sister as Bess switched the channel. On the small screen, Anne sat across from Graham Norton with a huge smile. She cut her hair in layers and wore a very stylish suit.

“Miss Neville, it’s great to have you on our show today,” Graham Norton said warmly.

“The pleasure is mine!” Anne replied happily and flashed him another smile.

“You like to smile don’t you?” Graham Norton teased. “I like that about you. So tell us, Miss Neville, about your series _So Ricky_. Who is this Ricky?”

Resting her hand on her laps, Anne took a deep breath and Graham laughed, “Relax! You are not on _60 Seconds_!”

The audience laughed at his jokes.

“Well Ricky is a fiction character, created by me,” Anne began. “He is a business legal rep and he believed that he should be the new CEO of the company established by Mercedes’ father. He is smart, snarky, and very charming!”

“Is any of your character based on real people you know?” Graham Norton asked.

“It’s a secret!” Anne said, blushing.

“Now I know that you are seeing footballer Edouard Lancaster and you two are steady,” Graham Norton said as the audience applauded. “Please don’t be offended, but it’s hard for me to see Ricky and Lancaster as the same person. I mean…I don’t see any shades of Ricky on Edouard Lancaster.”

Behind him, huge photos of Edouard Lancaster on the football field were displayed. His wild streak in action was obvious.

“Well, you don’t know him as I do,” Anne replied.

“Tell me then, is it true that Lancaster is wild and talented in the field as he is smart, funny, patient, and caring at home?” Graham Norton asked.

Anne bit her lips and then gave him a nod. “Yeah…”

The audience gave another thunderous applause.

“Miss Neville,” Graham Norton asked. “What inspired you to write this series?”

Anne looked down and then said, “When I was young, I always wanted to be a writer and to entertain people. But not many people believed in me, not even my father. A young woman achieving a dream on her own is scary but it’s also adventurous. A lot of people think that I’m a bimbo with no brain at all, and it’s my battle to prove them wrong. The next thing I know I’m writing Mercedes. Like me, she’s a fighter—out there to prove that she has potentials despite no one believed in her.”

“Mercedes had a bad relationship with her Daddy in your books,” Graham Norton commented. “Do you love your Daddy?”

“I do love him and he’s my hero,” Anne said sweetly. “But he needs to be less…judgmental and egoistic.”

At home, Richard Neville coughed uncomfortably.

“So your books are going to be adapted into a TV series,” Graham Norton said.

“Yes, it’s rolling!” Anne said happily.

“Who is going to play Ricky?” Graham Norton asked.

“It’s a secret,” Anne said. “I cannot reveal any names yet. I know it’s not going to be me.”

“I sure hope not,” Graham Norton laughed. “Your books are international best sellers and you sure write fast! What do you see yourself as based on your contribution to the society and literature?”

After a moment of thinking, Anne replied, “I see myself as a new spokesperson of feminism of the 21st century.”

“Wow,” that was all Graham Norton could say.

“I mean, it’s 21st century but a women are still being judged against for simply being female,” Anne continued, getting more excited. “Mercedes’ father was disappointed that she was a girl and did not think that she can inherit his business because in his mind women are not capable as men. At these times, women should stand up, fight, and prove themselves. Don’t underestimate our courage, we’re a match to any man!” With that said, she made a fist—which nearly hit Graham Norton in the nose.

“I do admire your courage,” Graham said, while moving away from her. Then he changed the subject. “If you don’t mind me asking, is Edouard Lancaster going to pop the question any time soon?”

Anne blushed again. “I don’t know, maybe. I did tell him that if he’s going to propose, then it has to be special.”

“I can’t wait to see that!” Graham Norton said warmly.

At the Neville’s, Richard Neville turned the TV off. With his hands covering his eyes, he muttered, “I have no daughter.”

At the Yorks, Bess and Cecily wondered who is going to play Ricky.

“Andrew Garfield is a good choice,” Cecily said. “He looks so much like Edouard Lancaster!”

“Hmm…I don’t know,” Bess said. “For some reason, Ricky reminded me of Uncle Richard!”

The two girls looked at each other and then went, “Nah!”

_I saw your mother on Graham Norton’s show too and I couldn’t turn it off. I guessed I made the right choice for her. But hearing that she’s marrying Lancaster made me really uncomfortable. I went out to grab and drink and ended up at the River’s Café again. What happened next, you cannot tell your mother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another poking fun at PG's work - you may or may not like it.
> 
> I based Edouard Lancaster on German footballer Thomas Muller, whom I thought resembled British actor Andrew Garfield somewhat. 
> 
> Next chapter will bring some excitement.
> 
> Comments please!


	12. Me, Anthony, and a Skunk

_Ned, what I’m about to tell you now – you can’t tell your mother. You can’t as you cannot, ever! If you do, I will kick you out of the house and leave you in an orphanage, which means no video games, no car, and no college funds. Do you understand?_

_-Dad did you commit a crime?_

_No._

_-You didn’t kill Edouard Lancaster, did you?_

_No._

_-You didn’t hire a hitman?_

_No._

_-Dad, why do your eyes look funny?_

_They are the way they are. Your Aunt Izzy once teased your mother for loving my funny eyes._

_-Dad, what did you do?_

_No, it’s what did we do…_

Turning off the television after watching Graham Norton and storming out of his apartment, Richard wandered around in New York. His mind wasn’t clear; he was not happy; and he didn’t know why. Before he knew it, he was at the River’s Café. Anthony served him one cup of cappuccino after another. Richard consumed them as they were shots or potions that could cure his misery.

“There are plenty of fishes in the sea,” Anthony Rivers told him as Richard drank his 10th cup. “It doesn’t have to be her.”

“What do you know?” Richard snapped.

“Aren’t you seeing someone already?” Anthony asked. “That blond girl…what’s her name…Kate right?”

“It didn’t work out,” Richard muttered.

“Because she isn’t _her_ , right?” Anthony purposely avoided mentioning that person’s name. “If you like, I can help.”

“How?” Richard didn’t believe him at all. “Another embarrassment on _Good Morning America_?”

“Hey, if you watched that show then you should know how I am the only person who can help you,” Anthony finally showed anger over Richard’s attitude. “I have _powers_. I can see the future. I can put a spell on her heart and have her back in your arms in no time.”

“No offense but what are you? Aphroditino?”

Aphroditino = male version of Aphrodite, goddess of love

“Do not ever underestimate the power of Melusine’s children!” Anthony warned him seriously. Then he froze and closed his eyes. “Ah…I see…you…you will have…a change…hair…a change…a hair change…you will have a hair change…I see it!”

Richard rose abruptly and threw down $20.00 on the counter. “You’re creepy. By the way, I’m not going to change my hair for my life!”

_Or so I thought._

Exactly seven days after Anthony had his “seeing”, Richard went to a construction site to review his architect project. Who could’ve thought that a bucket of paint got knocked over and pilled on his head?

So he did go to get a haircut because he had no other choice.

He was lucky enough to not end up bald; but his curls were gone.

It was a new look; his friends and family and co-workers either loved it or hated it. It was certainly not a bad look; but it was a new look and a hair change.

_And that scared the hell out of me._

***

Since then Richard tried to avoid the River’s Café, and the television.

Anne’s new show _So Ricky_ was broadcasted in U.S and it was a huge hit with strong ratings. Richard tried not to watch it but couldn’t help himself. His eyes narrowed when he saw the character Ricky entered the scene. In grey suits, he sat in his desk and looked around with a sense of arrogance and carelessness. The protagonist and heroine Mercedes entered the scene and tried to befriend him. Ricky hardly paid attention to her.

The way he spoke…

The way he acted…

The way he looked at people…

And those dark curls…

Richard nearly gulped when he saw Ricky had his regular breakfast—croissant with cappuccino.

The heroine Mercedes…so talkative…so much curiosity…so clumsy at times…so…so…so familiar…

Oh dear God!

Richard could not help but watched one episode after another every Wednesday and then the re-runs. He nearly had a heart attack when an episode showed Ricky helped Mercedes moving into her new apartment. Mercedes was arguing with the moving company for being late and unresponsive. Ricky stepped in and played her knight. After helping her moving into her apartment, Mercedes went to hug him. After the hug came the kiss. After the kiss came the homerun.

The two ran into her unfurnished apartment to make love—with Mercedes riding Ricky…

Richard bolted out his apartment and ran to middle of nowhere.

***

“So you’re back,” Anthony smirked as Richard sat before him. “Nice hair by the way.”

It was weeks after his haircut and Richard kept his hair short since he found it so much easier to manage and care. Plus, it made him look more mature and attractive; at least from his perspective.

Well, there actually was another reason—he wanted to look different from the character Ricky, as much as possible.

“Shut up Anthony,” Richard said in a very serious and business-like tone. “I come here for a reason.”

“Okay, so what is your reason?” Anthony was amused.

“I want you to help me,” Richard went on and said, “I want you to put a curse…I want you to curse that show…and I want you to curse Edouard Lancaster.”

He said in a very serious monotone, as if the King of England was giving an order to launch a war.

Anthony studied his face for a second and then burst out laughing. “I can’t believe you’d ever say that. Say it again!”

“You heard me,” Richard continued. “I need you to put a curse on—“

“Richard,” Anthony interrupted him. “I can’t do it unless you believe in it.”

“I do,” Richard insisted. “At least after you proved the accuracy of your fortune-telling.”

“And you want me to put a curse on people,” Anthony raised an eyebrow. “I thought you are a good person.”

“I am.”

“Good people don’t curse others,” Anthony remarked. “Let’s get to the point—you want her back.”

After a long moment, Richard admitted, “Yes.”

“Then why don’t we do this,” Anthony suggested. “Instead of a curse…let’s do a spell…destroy all the barriers that prevent true loves to be together!”

“Destroy all the barriers?” Richard nearly laughed. “Isn’t it the same as a curse?”

“Do you want to do this or not?” Anthony was losing his patience.

“Yes!”

“Then let’s go!”

He grabbed his jacket and Richard followed him out of the café.

***

“Now, you and me, we are going to do this together,” Anthony instructed as he drove. “I want you to be as obedient as possible. No question. No objection. And you cannot tell anyone about this, especially Ma.”

Richard nodded.

Anthony parked by a lake.

“To put my power in effect, I need to the power of water,” Anthony told Richard as they stepped closer to the lake. Opening his trunk, Anthony went to fetch the supplies. A lamp, a blanket, a paper, a small shovel, a knife, and then a skunk.

“A skunk?” It could not get any more ridiculous.

“This is Bedford,” Anthony introduced proudly. “We need him.”

Under his instructions, Richard knelt before Anthony by the lake as Anthony put the blanket over them and Bedford the skunk.

“Lit the lamp!” He told Richard.

Richard held the lamp as Anthony took his hand and cut his finger. As his blood dripped on to the paper, Anthony closed his eyes, holding up Bedford the skunk by the tail, and muttered, “May true love and soul mates be reunited. All barriers in the way shall be cursed—their lines shall end with no son!”

Then he started humming.

Richard said nothing and endured all this.

After he finished humming, the two dug a hole and buried the bloodied paper.

Just as they threw the blanket aside, they found two police officers standing before them with flashlights in their face.

***

“Can you tell me what are you two doing under a blanket at 10:00 PM at a public setting?” The officer questioned Richard and Anthony at the police station. Not that it was illegal, but their actions were suspicious enough.

Richard looked down while Anthony was sweating.

“We,” Richard began but then Anthony hissed, “Shush!”

“Why are you so secretive? What exactly went on under the blanket?” The officer was more curious than ever.

“Nothing,” the two answered in unison.

The officer refused to buy it.

Finally, Richard, wanting to get out of there so bad, told the truth, “We were casting a spell to bring unite true love against all the odds.”

The officer looked at the two of them back and forth. Folding his arms, he said with a straight face, “You know that gay marriage is legalized more than a year ago.”

Hearing that, the two began talking simultaneously.

_The cops eventually let us go’ Anthony and I went separate ways. That night I wondered what kind of consequences could this all generate. One moment I thought it was all pathetic nonsense; and another moment I was afraid I’m going to cause some damage to other people._

_Again, please don’t tell your mother what I’ve just told you. What happened next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter.
> 
> And another jab at PG's plot and concept: good people don't put curse on others. If you are confident in yourself, you don't use curses against your enemies. Curses are for cheaters. You are not a true hero is you rely on magics and spells against your opponents who are not using them.
> 
> Can you guess what happened next?
> 
> Comments please!


	13. And it all worked too well

_Anthony and I worked together and put this “curse” on your mother’s show and to get me and her together. For a time I thought magic and spells are nothing but placebo effects. Heck, your Uncle Anthony’s “powers” were definitely more than placebo effects. If you were to put the two and two together, and calculate the statistics of chances, you’d find it utterly unconvincing that everything happened was only by “chance”._

Anne was coming home after nearly three years of absence.

Her mother and sister were thrilled; but her father could’ve cared less.

Her series had come to an end, in both books and television. All ten episodes of _So Ricky_ were broadcasted and the final novel of the YA series was released on the day after the show’s finale.

Reactions from viewers, fans, and critics were: disappointing, confusing, and scathing; especially for the show, starting from the eighth episode. Reviews from critics were:

_“I give it three stars out of five. The show is entertaining but it makes absolutely no sense at all. It’s supposed to be about a young woman finding her courage, strength, and confidence. But what we ended up having is a power-hungry girl who thought too much of herself. As for the character Ricky, he is nothing more than a yes-man and is clueless of his surroundings. It’s unconvincing to me that a corporation can ever survive in the hands of these two individuals, let alone thrive.”_

_“The show started with strong potential…but it went all downhill with episode 8. I don’t know what happened but ever since Ricky got together with Mercedes, all of his charm and charisma disappeared. What he ended up being is an idiot.”_

_“Look, I am not a Harvard graduate nor had I been a law student; but I know that anyone who went to college should have more common sense than the two protagonist of this series. But it shouldn’t be surprising at all – author Anne Neville [and executive producer] never graduated from college herself. I assume she allowed her unrealistic imagination got the better of her.”_

_“The major problem of the show is its writing; actors are not to blame. The protagonist Mercedes was hurt when her father refused to involve her in his business and wanted to appoint Ricky as his heir. Well, now we all know why. Hence Daddy knows best. There is absolutely nothing to be admired about Mercedes. Even if she were real, she’s definitely not the only female entrepreneur or CEO in the 21 st century—and neither would she be the best. Ricky started off strong, but in episode 8 either he had a traumatic accident or perhaps Mercedes drugged him, somehow he changed inexplicably. How could a man with a dual degree in law and business be this oblivious to the facts and listens to no one else but this one person [Mercedes], whom we are not sure if he either is 1) obsessed with or 2) using for his own end.”_

The fans could not be any more disappointed either. Most of them had expected that Mercedes and Ricky were a married-couple all along. However, the last lines of the final novel were a quote from Ricky:

_Mercedes, you are talkative. Dear god, you talk, talk, and talk. And you are getting married. I sincerely hope that your talkativeness will not annoy your future husband.”_

And there was a picture of Mercedes’ hand wearing a large diamond ring.

So the characters Mercedes and Ricky were not together.

Asides from disappointments, viewers, critics and fans chatted, argued, and discussed endlessly about the reasons behind the unexpected ending. It did bring good business for BBC and for Anne since people continued to buy her books and tune in to watch the series, as if it’s some sort of therapy that can cure their shock.

When asked about the finale, Anne’s replied, “Well, it’s my book and my ideas and I presented as thus. I can’t write what people want to see; I only write what my heart tells me.”

***

“Rich, come on!” Ann Beauchamp rushed her husband. “Our Annie is waiting for us.”

“I have no daughter,” Richard Neville stared at his computer screen. “I’m not going to see her.”

“Richard! Annie has been gone for nearly three years. Don’t you miss her?”

“Miss who? Why should I care? I’m judgmental and egoistic—as she broadcasted to the millions!” He was referring what Anne said on Graham Norton’s show.

“Richard—“

“Don’t Richard me! Just go and then come back! Please do not tell me about her success or I’ll file for divorce!”

Married for nearly thirty years, Ann Beauchamp knew not to get on her husband’s wrong side. Quietly, she left and took a cab to JFK Airport. Isabel was already there. “Where’s Dad?” She asked.

“He’s not coming,” Ann Beauchamp said quietly to her older daughter.

“Is he still mad about what Annie said on TV?” Isabel raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

Just then, they were distracted by camera flashes and applauses. Anne walked out with her luggage; wearing a fancy jacket and D&C sunglasses. Shyly, she waved at people and then spotted her family.

“Mummy!” She went to Ann Beauchamp and hugged her mother.

“Mummy?” Isabel was surprised. Anne never called their mother as “mummy”.

“Oh honey!” Ann Beauchamp hardly cared. All she knew was her famous bestselling author daughter came back to see her. “You do remember us! You still love us!”

“Oh mummy! I missed you!”

The two hugged and wailed out loud as photographers took pictures. After all that crying and tearful reunion between mother and daughter, Anne turned her attention to her sister. “Izzy, I missed you too!”

Isabel hugged her back.

The three left the airport together and went straight to a fancy restaurant in downtown Manhattan to have dinner.

***

“Where’s Dad?” Anne asked as she read the menu.

“He’s…busy,” Ann Beauchamp laughed nervously. “You know him. Clients…”

“He’s still mad, isn’t he?” Anne asked without looking at her mother.

“Annie, what you did is kind of mean,” Isabel pointed out. “If you said that in a private setting, it’s fine. But you said that on television.”

“Look,” Anne said while putting her menu aside. “I didn’t mean the way I came out. Plus, it’s not really far off from the truth. When I went to England, he gave me no support, as if the only legitimate way to make money is to go to college and graduate and work full-time. I proved him wrong.”

“That’s not even the point,” Isabel argued. “Annie, for nearly three years you didn’t call and failed to write. We are all scared and worry for you—“

“Do you have any idea how busy I am?” Anne interrupted. “I write, and write, and write…and I am absolutely no free time! Edouard’s mother is not easy to deal with.”

“Are you and Edouard getting married soon?” Ann Beauchamp asked.

“Yes, we are,” Anne whispered secretly and blushed. “He’s going to propose…in a special way!”

Before she could continue, she heard an uncomfortable cough. Anne looked up and found Richard Neville sitting down next to her. “Oh hi Dad.”

Richard Neville ignored her and called the waiter over and ordered his food.

“So Annie,” Isabel spoke, trying to lighten up the mood. “How did you and Edouard met?”

“Must I tell you?”

“Yes, sister’s privilege!”

“Well,” Anne said with a grin. “We met at the DMV. You remember that year I failed the driver’s test? Edouard was there too and failed as well. Both of us went back and…we admired each other for having the guts to come back again. A couple of weeks later he was playing football and his ball hit me in the face—“

“Football? Isn’t he a soccer player?” Ann Beauchamp asked.

“Mummy, in England, it’s football,” Anne explained. “We started dating since then. It all began at that DMV. Just think, had I rescheduled my—“

“Two people bonded because of failures, how romantic,” Richard Neville muttered.

Anne pretended she didn’t hear that. “Edouard is so nice and so…romantic. I am his inspiration. It was through him I met his mother and with his mother’s help I’m now a famous and rich—“

“Have you even read your contract?” Richard Neville interrupted her in a serious tone.

“What contract?” Anne asked, not knowing what her father is referring to.

“The contract between you, Margaret Anjou, and BBC,” Richard Neville said evenly. “Royalties and money—exactly how much is going into your bank account?”

“That…that…” Anne stuttered. “That is none of your business.”

“Before you get too ahead of yourself,” Richard Neville lectured. “Be careful and—“

“Daddy, can we talk about happy things?” Anne didn’t want to listen anymore. “I have my business manager!”

“What’s his name?”

“Beaufort, Edmund Beaufort.”

“How did you know him?”

“Edouard’s mother arranged—“

“You have a man manage your assets—a man whom you don’t even know!” Richard Neville was not happy to hear that. “Show businesses are—“

“Dad I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” Anne had no patience to listen. “Apparently, you are not happy or appreciating my success and international fame!”

“Fame? Success?” Richard Neville shook his head. “Exactly what are you famous for? You are no Danielle Steel or Nora Robert! Your writings are—“

“Dad, I don’t want to hear!” Anne completely lost her patience. “I am back to see my family because I love you all. But no, I have to listen to all this. Well, let me tell you something: Edouard and I are getting married and you, Daddy, are not invited to our wedding! Tomorrow night, Edouard is going to propose—on TV. I am going to be with the ones I love, namely Mummy and Izzy—“

“Mummy? Your mother isn’t a dead woman from Ancient Egypt!”

“And I sincerely ask you Daddy to not be there!”

“Oh so now you are going towards reality TV!”

The two argued without listening to each other. Anne threw down her napkin and stormed out of the restaurant. Isabel ran after her.

The waiters arrived with four main dishes. Neither Richard Neville nor Ann Beauchamp ate.

***

Edouard was going to propose—on TV. ESPN UK was interviewing him and he was going to propose at the end of interview. For the viewers, it was only rumored-to-be; but not for Anne. He did tell Anne that he was going to propose to her in a very special way. Anne guessed what he was going to do, to a certain extent.

At the River’s Café, Anthony turned on ESPN. Lots of people went to the River’s Café for the sake of getting the “feel” of Neville-Lancaster romance. Thus, anything related to either one of them was to be played on the café’s TV.

At Isabel’s place, Anne sat on the sofa, all excited. Isabel was with her, excited as well.

At home, Ann Beauchamp was watching as Richard Neville locked himself in his office.

Elsewhere, Ed York and his family; Cecily his mother; George his brother; and the Rivers, his in-laws were watching from their homes respectively.

And Richard York was watching from his apartment.

“We are live in London near the Tower Bridge. England’s star footballer Edouard Lancaster has something special to announce,” EPSN anchor said to the viewers. The camera zoomed to Edouard, who was on a motorcycle.

 “World Cup has always been my dream,” Edouard Lancaster told ESPN. “But now I have an even bigger dream—family. I met this girl and I never loved anyone as much as I love her.”

Hearing this, Anne was moved to tears.

“She is my inspiration, my light, my reason, my comfort,” Edouard Lancaster continued, as if he had forgotten that he was live on TV. “I love her…that’s all I can say…I love her.” He paused and then continued, “I never feared anything in my life, but for the first time, I’m afraid. I afraid that she will said no. I’m afraid that our love will not last. I have the guts to win World Cup, but I don’t have the courage to get down on my knee. But today, I’m going to prove myself. Conquer my fear.”

He started the motorcycle and rode towards the Tower Bridge, which was cleared.

The bridge was raised with a gap in between.

Obviously, he was going to do a Robbie Maddison Tower Bridge jump.

The audience watched as Edouard rode up on the bridge and shouted, “ANNE NEVILLE! WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

The bike flipped up in the air…

…and then fell…and disappeared.

Okay, so he didn’t make it. It shouldn’t be that bad since he’d land in water.

Only then they heard the sound of a ship horn…

…and a crush…

All viewers were stunned.

Ed York and Liz tried to escort their daughters back to their rooms while talking about all types of topics; Cecily York could not believe what she just saw; George was laughing like an idiot; everyone at the River’s Café was silent; Richard York was horrified.

“What…what have I done?” He asked himself.

Meanwhile, Anne quietly asked Isabel, “That…that’s not a stunt, is it?”

_Instead of being a blushing bride in white, your mother ended up a weeping widow in black. Technically she wasn’t a widow since she was never married to Lancaster. But still, she was inconsolable. They recovered Lancaster’s body and…I’m not going to give any details. So as for the curse, it worked like magic in every way._

_The show ended up a disaster._

_The marriage between your mother and Lancaster did not happen._

_As for true love reunite, your Aunt Izzy and Uncle George learned how short life can be from this incident and got back together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this will bring you...I don't know...whatever feelings it can bring you.
> 
> Robbie Maddison's Tower Bridge jump can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcfkKtZd8tc
> 
> Comments please!


	14. Comforting the widow

_Your mother was crying a river after seeing Edouard Lancaster ended up…gone…on international TV. I don’t know what happened to her between the exact moment Edouard “proposed” and the next time I saw her; she still refuses to talk about it and I can only assume she flew back to England to attend the funeral. Of course, I told no one what I did with your uncle Anthony; not even your Uncle Ed or Uncle Francis. You, Edward Richard York, are the first and only one to know._

“I have to say, it got to be awful,” George mumbled while eating a burger. The three York brothers gathered together to have a barbeque at Cecily’s house. Ed brought his wife and kids. Isabel did not come even though she and George got back together. There were too much going on at home, or so she said.

“Can you imagine, sitting there and watching as the love of your life dies before your eyes,” George continued, talking about what Anne was going through. “I don’t know about you, but if I were to watch any one of you riding a motorcycle to jump over a bridge and died, I’d be so traumatized!”

“Relax George,” Ed patted him on the shoulder. “As touched as I am, I can assure you that will never happen. No one in our family is that stupid to do such a thing.”

“Love does that to people sometimes,” Liz chimed in. “Psychologically speaking, being in love is being crazy.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, George,” Cecily asked her second son. “Are you and Isabel getting engaged again?”

“Well—“

“I don’t care if you do,” Cecily said to her son sincerely. “But please, just present her a ring and ask the question.”

“Don’t worry,” George assured his mother. “Izzy never asked me to propose in a special way.”

“You sound like this is all Anne’s fault,” Liz pointed out.

“Think about it, if she hadn’t asked Lancaster to propose in a special way, they’d still be together,” George said. “And she wouldn’t be the most hated person in the United Kingdom.”

“How can you say that?” Ed asked. “Why would England hate her?”

“Lancaster won the World Cup for England—soccer is huge there,” George explained. “It’s like if Kristen Stewart asked Robert Pattison to propose in a special way and Robert Pattison ended up dead. Won’t you hate Kristen Stewart?”

“You sure got a point, brother.”

Everyone chatted except for Richard, who was unusually quiet.

“Richard, are you okay?” Cecily asked.

“I’m fine.”

Before he could have another drink, Ed and Liz’s younger kids ran by and sang, “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down…”

That made Richard’s face pale.

“Excuse me,” he said to his mother apologetically and left.

“What’s with him?” Liz asked.

“No clue,” George replied. Then he looked at Ed, “Do you think he has anything to do with Lancaster’s death?”

“George, you need to stop drinking your wine.”

***

Richard ended up at the River’s Café again, like many times before. It was as if an invisible fairy guided him there, whenever he was down. Anthony wasn’t there. His sister May covered for him.

“Where’s Anthony?” He asked.

“He’s out sick,” May told him. “After seeing…that thing…he is very traumatized.”

Richard said nothing more and ordered another cup of coffee.

He sat there and drank, wondering if that “curse” was really worth it. So Lancaster was now dead, but did Anne come back to him? Where was she right now? He couldn’t imagine what Anne is going through. Was he too selfish? Too pathetic?

But then again, Lancaster made his own choice.

Why did he have to do that? Why can’t he just ask Anne to marry him right there on the bridge and be done with it. It wasn’t like Anne was going to say no.

Still, he felt as if he were a murderer.

He stared at the coffee and stirred. He recalled the moment Anne stirred the coffee, not sure if she should go to England to pursue her dream…

“There you are,” a voice said behind him.

It was his two older brothers Ed and George.

“I know you’d be here,” George said.

“Leave me alone!” Richard snapped.

“You want to talk about it?” Ed asked. “You seemed to be—“

“I’m fine!”

“It’s Anne, isn’t it?” George guessed. “You still care about her. In fact, I think you still love with her.”

“Shut up George!” Richard looked away.

“Dickon,” Ed began. “If you do love her, then move it! Lancaster is gone now, and Anne is all alone. It’s perfect timing, if you want her that is.”

“What should I do? Fly to England and make an appearance in the midst of Lancaster’s funeral?”

“Why not?” George said. “You do love her and so prove it! Trust me, years later when you look back, it’d be worth it.”

“Richard, if you don’t do this now, you’re going to hate yourself,” Ed added. “Remember what I advised you before Anne left for England?”

“Yeah, you told me to talk to her into staying.”

“And what did you do?”

“I encouraged her to go for her dreams.”

“And are you happy?”

“No.”

“See!” George pointed out. “Don’t repeat your old mistake. Get into your best suits and go get your girl!”

“Go get my girl…” Richard muttered.

***

The sky was dark. Dressed in all black, Anne stood before a huge granite grave stone. Her eyes were red; her face was pale; her hands could not stop shaking. Paparazzi popped up from time to time, taking pictures of the grieving Anne Neville.

“Go, go away!” Anne shouted at the paparazzi after hearing the sound of camera clicking. “Leave me alone! I just want a moment alone with my Edouard! Is it too much to ask?” Weeping, she touched the gravestone. “Edouard, my Edouard. Why did you do this? I asked you to propose in a special way…I didn’t mean for it to be jumping the bridge! Your body is in pieces! I will never be in your arms again. You are my inspiration, you are my other half. How can I ever carry on without you?”

Paparazzi photographers refused to let her be. Camera flashes continued.

“Leave her alone!” A strong male voice shouted. “Be gone!”

Hearing that, paparazzi immediately ran away.

Anne did not turn. Her eyes were still on Edouard’s gravestone.

“Did you hear that?” She muttered quietly. “The sound…Edouard is crying from the grave, for he is hearing the footstep of his murderer.”

The man ignored her words and approached her. “Anne…”

She turned around and was surprised to see him. “Richard?”

In his dark suit with a black coat, Richard stood before her. He had changed much since the last time they saw each other. His dark curls were gone. His hair was straight and brushed back with gel. By first glance, he was like the young Al Pacino from the film _Godfather_.

“Anne, I’m here,” he said to her plainly. “I’m here to take you with me.”

“No!” Anne cried. “Edouard is crying…I can hear it…It can only mean one thing. You! You did something.” She sprang to him and grabbed him by the coat. “What did you do? What have you done to my Edouard?”

“What do you think?” He asked without emotion or regret.

“You…you…” She spat. “I hate you!”

“Hate is a strong word,” he said. “You don’t mean it.”

“Yes I do!”

“Do you know how beautiful you are when you’re angry?” He said mockingly.

“You killed my fiancé!”

“I didn’t kill your fiancé,” Richard insisted. “It’s he who chose to jump over the Tower Bridge. But instead, he flew to heaven.”

“I hate you!” Anne spat repeatedly. “You murderer!”

“But it is all because of you,” Richard said slowly. “It is I who put a curse on Edouard Lancaster…I did not curse him to die for I only cursed him to be away from you. If death is the only way, so be it. You are to blame. You are so besotting and so sexy. You haunt me in my dreams to the point that I can’t eat or sleep without you in my arms. Lancaster is gone now, dead. You should be with me. Now come think about it, I did kill Edouard Lancaster.”

“You bastard!” Anne slapped him sharply.

“You hit me,” Richard said under his breath. “I like it. It turns me on.”

Anne turned away. “You…you’re disgusting.”

After a long moment of silence, she heard a sound of click.

A gun?

Frightened, she looked at Richard, who was holding a pistol in his hand. “I love it when you look at me,” he muttered. “Your eyes are so pretty, remind me of flowers.”

“What…what do you want?” Her lips quivered.

“I want you to be happy and satisfied,” he said as he pressed the pistol into her palm. “Take this and kill me. Avenge for your fiancé and walk away happy.”

“No!” Anne tried to pull back but Richard held on to her hand against her will. “Don’t take this the wrong way, I still hate you! But I’m not going to commit a crime. I’m no killer, you know me.” She stopped struggling.

“I do know you, as always,” Richard said softly. “Fine, if you can’t do it. I’ll do this myself.”

With that said, he pointed the pistol against his head.

“Wait!” Anne completely freaked out. “Don’t! Please don’t! Listen to me!”

“Do you want me dead? Would that be enough to satisfy your desire of vengeance?” He asked her.

Slowly, she shook her head. “No, vengeance can only lead to more vengeance.”

“But do you wish to see me dead?” He pressed.

“No,” she shook her head.

Richard threw away the gun.

“Do you love me Richard, truly?” She asked quietly.

“I do, perhaps I always have,” he replied as he removed his class ring from his hand. “Here, take this.”

“But I…I may not love you,” Anne said hesitantly.

“I don’t mind,” he told her. “All I want is you to be with me. Come, let’s put the past behind us and begin a new life together.”

“But Edouard—“

“He is resting in peace now,” Richard said. “Nothing can hurt him anymore.”

“I…I have others things to take care of,” Anne said slowly.

“Go,” Richard said. “I’ll be waiting. Bid me goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Richard,” Anne said as she slipped his ring onto her left hand. She walked away from Edouard’s grave.

After she disappeared from his sight, Richard turned and said to the paparazzi, “Have you ever seeing a girl this in love with a man? After all these years I am still the one who holds her heart. It has always been me.I have no idea what is so special about me. I am not an athlete or a rock star. But she is so in love with me. Do I need another suit?”

***

“Richard! Hey Richard!” A hand shook his shoulders.

“What?” Richard returned to reality from his thoughts.

“I’m saying go buy a ticket to London and talk to Anne!” Ed repeated himself for about 100th time. “Go get your girl!”

“Uh no,” Richard vowed. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” George didn’t get him. “Take it before you miss it again.”

“I just can’t, okay?” Richard rose from his seat and ran out of the River’s Café.

_I went home and lived on my life. In the next few weeks, I had a couple of nightmares where Lancaster came to seek vengeance. But hey, I talked him out of it. In my dream, I said to him, had you not jumped over the bridge you’d still be alive. Anne asked you to do a special marriage proposal, but she didn’t ask you to jump the bridge. After a long talk, Lancaster made peace with me. Anthony eventually pulled himself back together and neither one of us talked._

_I moved out of my old apartment just to start afresh. Little did I know that very decision led your mother bounce back to my life again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case if you did not notice, the conversation between Richard and Anne is based on Act I Scene II of the Shakespearean play "Richard III".
> 
> Comments please!


	15. Saving Miss Neville

_After that “incident” of Edouard Lancaster, I was plagued by guilt. I felt as if I were Michael Corleone from the film series “Godfather” – a man started off as a good person but pressurized to take extreme measures under special circumstances. What I’m saying, I have no clue. I was having nightmares with Lancaster’s ghost haunting me. Eventually, though, I managed to have a decent conversation with him, ending with Lancaster realizing his own stupidity. Remember this Ned, you always make your own choices. Lancaster made a poor choice on his own. He had no one to blame but himself._

_The last time his ghost came to me was the night before I moved to my new apartment._

_Lancaster said to me, “Take good care of Anne.”_

_I woke up and didn’t know where to go with that. At the time, I didn’t even know where your mother is._

_I guess your mother and I are truly soulmates. Whatever the obstacles, we always managed to find our way back to each other._

Richard moved into a new apartment, just a few blocks down the street. The new apartment complex was much more luxurious with a huge pool, a computer room, a gym, and a conference room. Because of its commodities, the rent was much higher.

“Why are you moving?” George asked as he helped Richard with his boxes. “Something wrong with your old apartment?”

“No, I just need some changes,” Richard said with a shrug. “And this place is great, better than the last one.”

“Richard, you are paying way too much rent,” Ed pointed out. “You should get a roommate.”

“No,” Richard said simply. “This is my place; it’s only enough for me, myself, and I.”

“Whatever you say,” Ed muttered as he moved Richard’s sofa. “You know, this sofa is big enough for a person to sleep in.”

“Ed, I’m not going to repeat myself.”

In his heart, Richard knew what Ed truly meant—get himself a girlfriend.

“Why did you turn down that moving company?” George asked. “What’s its name…Boswell?”

“It’s Bosworth,” Ed corrected him.

“The people of that company are not trustworthy,” Richard explained. “I met them before. They’re not the type of people I want to be around with.”

_Bosworth Moving Company—that is the exact moving company your mother used when she moved into her new apartment. That name gave me the creeps and still does._

The three brothers chatted as they moved around the furniture. When they were almost done, Cecily came with her cookies.

“I’m here to check on my boys,” she said warmly. “Wow, this apartment is much larger than your last one.”

Indeed, it had an entertainment room; a large living room; a bedroom with a gigantic closet; two bathrooms; and a balcony.

Before leaving, Cecily gave Richard a warm hug and advised, “When the time is right, I wish to see two people living here.”

In other words, she wanted to see Richard settling down.

After were gone, Richard looked around and did find this place a bit too spacious to live by himself. But then again, he couldn’t picture anyone living here with him.

***

After moving into his new place, Richard categorized his things into “need” and “don’t need”. He placed the things he no longer needed into a large garbage bag and went to throw them out. Because the bag was too large for the tunnel, he had to walk downstairs to the garbage disposal.

The garbage disposal was already full; so he put the garbage back right next to it.

It was eight o’clock at night with only the street lights on in the complex.

After putting the garbage bag down, Richard heard something. He turned around but saw nothing. Initially, he thought it was either a mouse or a squirrel. But then, he heard the sound of garbage bags dragging from one side to another.

A homeless man?

Curious, he went back to the garbage disposal to see what’s there.

As he approached closer, he heard the sound of moving.

He looked but no one was there. As he was walking away, a hand reached out and grabbed him by the pants. Freaking out, he screamed.

And that person screamed too.

Sprang to the other side, he was stunned with what he saw.

A young brunette sat on a suitcase, eating a disposed bagel; her face was dirty and her hair was a mess.

“Anne?”

That young woman looked back at him and soon tears filled her eyes, as if she finally saw a loved one after years of wandering in a world of unloved.

***

Sitting on his sofa, Anne was not talking or eating. Richard fixed her a TV dinner since she looked as if she hadn’t had a good meal in days.

“Anne, what are you doing here?” Richard asked gently as he placed food before her.

Anne stared emptily at the food.

“Okay, we don’t have to talk about it,” he said. “Let’s eat something first, shall we?”

He held the food tray before her eyes.

Still no response.

Anne was either heavily drugged or she was emotionally traumatized.

With no other choice, Richard used a fork to feed her. Slowly, she began to eat. Like a patient in the mental ward, she had no idea what is happening around her.

The window was left open to keep the apartment fresh. Outside, some residents came home on bikes. Hearing the sound of motorcycle, Anne’s eyes flickered.

“Bikes…” She finally spoke. “Bikes…Edouard was on a bike…”

Then came the waterfall.

Quickly, Richard sprang to the window and closed it. He was also relieved that she finally spoke, for a moment he thought she was half-dead.

“No, there is no bike,” Richard comforted her. “But there is food!”

Anne hardly cared. All she did was wailing and sobbing.

“Okay, fine no food,” Richard said as he put the food away. “Let’s get you cleaned up, how about that? I have a shower and a bath.”

With all his strength, he pulled her off his sofa and led her to the bathroom. Turning on the hot shower, he placed some towels on the side. He then left and closed the door behind him to give her some privacy.

She was in there for a long time.

***

The shower was still on. Richard guessed that she probably been through some really shitty times. So he decided to give her all the time and space she needed, for now. He turned on the TV and watched reruns of the TV series “Law and Order: SVU”. In that episode, Detective Olivia Benson and ADA Casey Novak stormed into a rape-victim’s apartment. They were horrified to find the victim had slashed her wrist in the bathtub.

Wait…Anne was still in the shower…

Panicked, he ran to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Anne! Anne! Are you done? Are you okay?”

No response.

He banged on the door again.

Still no response.

At this point, Richard didn’t care if he’d be branded as a pervert. He pushed the bathroom door open and ran in.

Pulling back the shower curtain, he found the water was still on; but Anne was nowhere in sight.

Where could she have gone?

The bathroom had no window (thank God).

Turning the shower off, he ran into his bedroom but she wasn’t there.

“Anne?” He shouted.

After running around in the apartment for about thirty minutes, he finally saw her—standing on the balcony, wearing only a towel.

How did she gotten there?

Carefully, he opened the sliding doors to speak with her. He was living on the seventh floor. A disturbed, troubled girl like Anne standing on an open balcony like that was no joke.

“Anne,” he spoke as he approached her. “Let’s go inside. You’ll catch a cold if you stand out here any longer.”

Anne refused to say anything. She continued to stand there.

“Anne,” Richard approached closer. Anne didn’t try to move away from him.

Without another word, he lifted her up and carried her into his bedroom. Having her settled in bed, _his bed_ , he pulled the cover up to her chin. He turned the lights off and left the nightlight on.

“Your balcony…it’s huge…” She murmured.

“How did you get there?”

“Your bathroom has a door connecting to your bedroom,” she said softly. “I was in the shower too long…too hot…I needed some air…”

She then muttered something else but then fell asleep.

Once her eyes closed, Richard immediately searched around the room. He removed all the sharp objects and over-the-counter medications such as Tyenols, fearing for the worst. He left his bedroom door half open and then moved the sofa closer to his bedroom. He spent the night on the sofa in the living room while Anne slept in his bedroom.

Tomorrow would be Monday, but he would call in sick.

He hoped that Anne would pull herself together by tomorrow and tell him what happened. Then, he would reach out to her family and have her living with them.

Yet, his instinct told him that it would not be that easy.

_And my instinct, unfortunately, was correct._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> George mistaken the moving company's name "Bosworth" as "Boswell" is a shout out to TWQ soundtrack mistaken "Battle of Bosworth" as "Battle of Boswell".
> 
> There is no such a thing as "Battle of Boswell". The only "Boswell" that stands out in history is Mary Queen of Scots's third husband.
> 
> The episode Richard was watching is called "Doubt" in the show "Law and Order: SVU".
> 
> Comments please!


	16. The One that (Almost) Got Away

_Ned, before becoming an architect, I had considered about being a doctor. Your grandmother Cecily even joked about me being a brain surgeon. Being a doctor is not easy; and I’m not even talking about schools and knowledge. You must have the heart to take care people. No matter how rude or how disgusting they are, you have to take care of them. That is what doctors do. I’m happy to say that I made the right choice by “not” taking MCAT and apply for med school. The only person I’ve taken care of—despite her lack of cooperation and bad attitude—is your mother._

Face wash, face cream, lip balm, hair brush, body wash…

…and then menstrual pads.

Looking at all the selections on the shelf in Aisle 8, Richard didn’t know what to buy. There were tampons, menstrual pads, and diapers. He knew the differences, slightly. Menstrual pads also came in different types—overnight, regular, regular long, and ultran thin.

He could not be more confused.

Swallowing his pride, he approached a woman in her late thirties nearby.

“Hi,” he said, blushing. “Uhm…can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” she replied. “What do you need?”

“Can you tell me which one or ones of these do I need?” Richard asked, pointing at the menstrual pads.

The lady looked at him up and down. Her eyes set on his face and then looked lower, and lower, and lower…

“It’s…it’s not for me!” Richard quickly added. “It’s for a friend of mine. She’s sick.”

“Oh,” the lady let out a laugh and sigh of relief. “Is she in bed?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’d say the overnights. _Always_ is a good brand. I also suggest…” She went on and on and explained each type of menstrual pads to him. Richard ended up buying a bag of each: regular, long, overnight, and ultra thin.

“Thank you,” he said genuinely.

That lady looked at his shopping cart and then gave him a smile. “I have to say your girlfriend is such a lucky girl. Not all men in this world are masculine enough to do things like this.”

Richard gave her a nod and went to another aisle.

His actions, though, caught the attention from other women. They looked at him with admiration and awe. Men these days wanted nothing to do with shopping or caretaking. And yet, before their eyes was a young man with good looks and a kind, caring heart. One older woman even smacked her husband on the scalp. “Watch and learn!”

At the checkout, the cashier advertised their New England chowder, to which Richard refused.

The word “England” was too much for Anne.

Taking all these stuff, he headed back to his apartment. Not too far away, Francis Lovell and Rob Percy spotted him.

“Hey, is that Richard?” Francis asked. “I thought he is sick.”

“He looks fine to me,” Rob remarked. “And what is he buying?”

“I don’t know…looked like…women’s stuff…” Francis muttered, looking really hard.

The two looked at each other and tried not to think the least possible scenario.

***

Richard came home and immediately went to check up on Anne.

She was lying in bed, with a pillow pressed against her abdomen.

She had stayed at his place for nearly a week.

On the night he found her sitting by the garbage disposal, he took her in, fed her and provided her shelter with luxury of food and shower. Anne was in a total mess. Each time when she heard or saw something—anything—that reminded her of Edouard Lancaster or England or London, she’d cry and wail. Richard had hoped that she’d pull herself together after a good night of sleep. But it did not happen.

The next morning, he found Anne sat at the dinner table, completely mum and looking down. Out of his kindness, he offered her a muffin.

She stared at the muffin and then murmured, “Muffin…muffin…English muffin…”

The she exploded, pounding on the muffin and screamed, “BLOODY BRITISH BREAKFAST!”

After that came the tears.

Her actions scared Richard.

“Okay then, no muffin. How about croissant?” He suggested.

“Croissant…croissant is French…Margaret Anjou is French…”

And there was another round of wailing.

So no muffin and no croissant.

After she stopped crying, Richard suggested if he call her parents and she could go home. Anne shook her head vehemently.

“If you are not going home, where else can you go?” Richard asked. “How about…your sister Isabel?”

Sniffling, Anne murmured, “Fine, you don’t want me around. I get it, and I don’t blame you. I’ll just go find a truck and throw myself in front of it—“

Hearing that, Richard immediately assured her that she’s welcome to stay as long as she wants to.

“I want to eat something,” she mumbled.

Richard fixed her a bowl of cereal. It was Cheerio, all-American.

Anne ate very little. After she ate, she went back to bed, hiding under the blanket.

She still hadn’t told Richard exactly what happened after she went back to London for Edouard’s funeral.

Leaving the bedroom door slightly open, Richard turned on the televisions. On the news, it was reported that writer/director/executive producer of BBC Margaret Anjou was still in coma after bad stroke. Richard could only guess it was because of what happened to her son.

Was Margaret Anjou watching her son die on TV as well?

Oh great, that curse—an entire family was ruined.

Or was it because of the curse?

What was Edouard Lancaster thinking? Had he even considered how it could impact his beloved mother and girlfriend if things were to go wrong? Jumping over the bridge, for God’s sake, he was a soccer player, not a biker!

He changed the channel and ended up watching day time soap opera for the day. When it was time for lunch, he went to fix something for Anne. Over the next few days, he cooked for her; fed her; and reminded her to shower. It was as if Anne didn’t know what to do with herself unless he reminds her. He had picked up his phone to call her parents, but then decided not to. Knowing Richard Neville, he’d probably turn his back on her. After all, she did call him “egoistic and judgmental” on international TV.

He was afraid to leave her alone in his apartment, and so he called in sick for a week.

Then one day she went to the bathroom and stayed in there for a long time. After she came out, she quietly asked Richard if he can get her menstrual pads. She was way too embarrassed to show her face in public. She also asked if he has hot chocolates, explaining that sugars help relieve her pains during her menstruation.

Thus Richard went to buy her menstrual pads and other things she’d need.

***

“You got Tylenol?” Anne asked, holding her stomach.

“No, but I have Aleve.”

“Aleve is fine,” she muttered.

He went to get her Aleve and a glass of water. Anne swallowed the pill and lied back down, looked away.

“You still don’t want to speak to your family?” He asked gently.

“No,” she shook her head.

“Anne, I know that it’d be awkward but your family will—“

“No!” Anne shouted hoarsely.  The she added meekly, “I disowned my Dad.”

“What?” Richard nearly laughed out loud. “How could you disown your father? Only your father can disown you.”

Anne was blinking tears again. Richard changed the subject.

“You want to watch some TV?”

He turned on the small TV in his bedroom. It was the news channel, reporting “BBC TV executive producer and director Margaret Anjou dead.” Immediately he turned it off. Anne pulled the cover over her head, as if she was in hiding.

“Anne…” He sat on the bed, trying to coax her out. “I got chicken soup. It’s delicious and all-American.”

No reply.

Richard said nothing more; he just sat on the bed. Anne pushed the cover back a little and mumbled, “Can you sing me a song?”

“What?”

“I’m...I’m in a limbo right now,” Anne said, tears rolled down from her eyes. “You watch ‘Big Bang Theory’ right?”

“Yeah. The four nerds—“

“Can you sing me ‘Soft Kitty’?” She looked at him pleadingly.

He sat next to her and began:

_Soft kitty,_

_Warm kitty,_

_Little ball of fur,_

_Happy kitty,_

_Sleepy kitty,_

_Purr, purr, purr…_

“Penny always sang that for Sheldon whenever he is down or homesick…” Anne muttered and began to cry again.

“Shh,” Richard handed her a tissue and stroked her hair. She calmed down and drifted to sleep.

Watching her sleep, the song “The One that Got Away” by Katy Perry came to his mind.

“Summer after high school when we first met…And climb to the roof talk about our future like we had a clue…Never planned that one day I'd be losing you…Someone said you had your tattoo removed, saw you downtown singing the Blues. It's time to face the music I'm no longer your muse…But in another life I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises be us against the world…In another life I would make you stay. So I don't have to say you were the one that got away…The one that got away.”

The one that got away.

They first met as teens. She was a naïve, shy thirteen year-old who had a major crush on him. They met again as adults; this time it was the other way around. She was facing the dilemma of leaving America to pursue a dream in London. She came to him for advice, and he advised her to go for it.

He let her go because he loved her.

And she became the “one that got away”.

Whatever happened in the past happened. Lancaster was dead; and now so was Margaret Anjou.

She was back, right before his eyes.

_On that day, Ned, I promised myself not to let her go again, ever. She will never be the one that got away._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you watch the show "Big Bang Theory", then you'd know the song "Soft Kitty". Here what the song is ike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIp77PUvLTE
> 
> Comment please!


	17. How do you solve a problem like Anne?

_Your Grandmother Cecily is all about tough love—and she takes no prisoner. If you are in a bad shape, she’d be like a drilling sergeant telling you to get back up or go die. I’m serious. Back in college, I had an accident and broke my back. I had surgery and months of therapy. It was painful. Your Grandmother Cecily was by my side and basically whipped me back on my feet, for which I am forever grateful._

_But though love does not always work out well._

_At least, not for your mother…_

Lactose-free milk plus Rice Crispy cereal; and then one glass of orange juice.

Based on her current condition, soft diet would be better. Putting the breakfast on a tray, he went to his bedroom where Anne was in bed.

“Breakfast,” he said cheerfully. Slowly, Anne pushed back the cover. Richard placed the tray on the nightstand and helped Anne sitting up. Adjusting her pillows, he held the bowl as Anne ate. Her hands were too mellow and weak to hold the bowl herself.

After she finished eating, she lied back down and Richard put the tray away. Washing the dishes in the kitchen, he wondered if he should take Anne to a doctor. After all, she could not continue like this. But then again, he was afraid that she’d be diagnosed with some kind of mental illness and ended up in a psychiatric institution. As he was fixing himself breakfast, the doorbell rang.

Who could it be?

He answered the door and found his mother Cecily came to see him.

“Hi Mom,” he greeted her awkwardly. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard that you are ill,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Really? You don’t look sick to me.”

“Mom, now it’s not a good time—“

“What is going on with you?” Cecily asked, finding this odd. “Your mentor Dr. Hastings told Ed that you’re sick and you’ve been out for a week. I was shocked; you have always been a healthy kid. Is it your back?”

Richard had been healthy in his entire life, except for an accident that hurt his back in college.

“No, I’m fine.”

“What’s going on? Are you hiding something?”

“Why is Dr. Hastings talking to Ed?” Richard asked, bewildered. Dr. Hastings was his mentor in Columbia; he didn’t have much connection with Ed, a high school teacher.

“The secretary who works at Ed’s high school, Jane, is with Dr. Hastings,” Cecily told him.

“Wait…what? Jane Shore? Isn’t she…a little too young for Dr. Hastings?” Richard could not believe his ears. Dr. Hastings was in his sixties and Jane Shore could not be older than thirty.

Yuck!

“But that’s not why I am here,” Cecily said. “Why are you at home? What’s going on?”

Before Richard could answer, a loud bang was heard from his bedroom. And there were sound of shattered glass.

A few seconds later, Anne sauntered out, holding up a bloodied hand and a broken lamp.

“Sorry I broke your lamp.”

Then she noticed Cecily. “Oh hi,” she muttered and then sauntered back into his bedroom, with that broken lamp in hand.

***

Richard cleaned up her wound and bandaged her hand.

“Sorry,” she murmured; her voice was barely audible.

“It’s fine,” he assured her.

Tears streamed down from her eyes.

“Shh, it’s fine. I promise,” Richard said as he handed her a tissue. He wiped her face clean and saw her settled down under the covers. Through the half-opened door, Cecily saw it all.

Richard came out of his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

“Mom, let me explain—“

“What is she doing here?” Cecily questioned with a lowered but audible voice.

“Mom, this is my apartment and she is my guest,” Richard said determinedly.

“I am not saying that she is not welcome here, but what is she doing here?” Cecily pressed. “Why isn’t she in England or at her parents’ house?”

“I don’t know,” Richard replied and it was an honest answer. “You should’ve seen her. She was sitting near a garbage disposal and eating things people thrown out! She lost her boyfriend…and her potential mother-in-law if you haven’t heard that from the news. I don’t know what she endured in London after that incident, but I can’t imagine how bad it was!”

“Have you called her parents?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because she asks me not to,” Richard said, lowered his voice. “She begged me.”

“But she can’t be mopping around here forever!” Cecily pointed out.

“Mom, Anne is ill and she has nowhere to go,” Richard explained in a whisper. “If she leaves here, she is going to find a truck and throw herself before it!”

“How would you know?”

“She told me!”

“Richard, I can’t believe you fell for that.”

“Mom, Anne is sick and she is all alone,” Richard insisted. “I am taking her in, whether you like it or not.”

Cecily was not happy to hear that.

“Look, I have nothing against the girl, but I am not happy to see any one of my boys being used,” Cecily said evenly. “She is here because she has no one to turn to. Who knows? Maybe one day she’ll wake up and write _Anne Neville’s Diary_ featuring a slightly obese American girl with Mr. Richard York. Then it got adapted into a motion picture and she’d leave you behind and never talk to you again.”

“Mom, that’s not what happened!” Richard said. “Anne is in a helpless situation, and I am not going to leave her when she needs me. Now if you please, I’m kindly asking you to leave before you can say anything hurtful for Anne to hear.”

“Fine, I’m leaving!” Cecily waved her hands in the air and walked out of his apartment with pride.

She could not believe this. Her son Richard was taking time off to take care of a girl who took his feelings for granted; he cooked, cleaned, and acted as her caretaker; he was taking her side against his own mother; all he wanted was her to get well again. Fishing out the novel _So Ricky_ from her purse, she flipped through the pages and wondered out loud, “I have asked myself if such men do exist, and looks like it does!”

***

After Cecily left, Richard continued to look after Anne.

“Are you okay staying here all this time?” Anne asked him quietly.

“I’m fine,” he said with a smile.

“No, you are not fine. You are dying in here,” she murmured.

Guessing she’d probably heard everything Cecily had said, Richard let out a sigh and said, “Look, my mother has her art of talking but…don’t take her words seriously.”

“It’s not that…you are stuck here because of me…you should go out and take a break,” she muttered. “Go…get out of here…get some fresh air…”

“Anne—“

“Go!” She insisted while turning away from him, holding back her tears.

“You’d be okay?” Richard was not so sure.

“I’ll live,” she replied.

Reluctantly, Richard rose from his seat. “I’ll be back in an hour,” he promised her. “You’ll be fine?”

“I’m over 18 so yeah of course,” Anne said.

Slowly, he turned away from her and exited the room while looked back at least three times. He uneasily left his apartment and went out.

Fresh air!

Really, he had been inside for too long.

***

He said that he’d be back in an hour.

Not after five minutes he was out, he got a call from Ed saying that it was an emergency. He need to head to his place, Ed told him. Richard debated if he should go. Since Anne promised that she’d be okay, he figured one hour or two won’t cause much problem.

He went to Ed’s place.

His brother greeted him with his teacher’s tone. “Dickon, we need to talk.”

“What did I do?” Richard asked, acting as if he were a high school student who did not know what he did wrong.

“Let’s sit first, shall we?” Ed said as he sat. After seeing his little brother sitting down, Ed began his lecture, “There is an ant and a grasshopper. The Ant had worked hard to prepare for winter while the Grasshopper only sang. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ant distributing every day corn and grain from the stores it had collected in the summer. The Grasshopper asked the Ant for help; the Ant told him, ‘You sang during the summer, now you can dance.’ Do you know what the point of this story?”

Looking back at his brother, Richard did some thinking and answered, “Happy seeing other people suffer while feeling good about myself?”

“No!” Ed exclaimed and smacked him on the head. “The point of this story is that you earn your success and you earn your happy ending! If you made poor choices, then you just have to eat it!”

“Okay, what is this all about?” Richard asked, smelling something.

“What is Anne doing at your place?” Ed asked. “You are feeding her and taking care of her without being paid a dime. Do you know how expensive homecare nurses are? Anne made her choices and she earned her ending. She is an adult and thus should—“

“Ed, I don’t need to hear this,” Richard interrupted him. “I am making my choice and I’m choosing to take care of her. And how in the world did you know about this?”

“Mom,” Ed said.

Hearing that, Richard suddenly understood. He rose and was about to bolt.

“Wait,” Ed got a hold of him.

“I have to go,” Richard said. “I know Mom, she’s probably at my place right now talking to Anne.”

“So let her,” Ed said. “Mom got good morals and philosophies on life; she’s very wise. Her good advices will do Anne good.”

“By what? Telling her to get out of my place or go die? Anne is too fragile for this!”

Before Ed could say anything else, Richard looked at him in the eyes and said, “When you married Liz, Mom did not like that but I stood by you. You know why? Because I know your heart and I know how much you truly loved Liz. And that’s what brothers do—we stick for one another when the world is standing against you. Now, will you stick with me for Anne as I stood with you for Liz?”

And that got Ed.

Without another word, Richard ran out of Ed’s place and headed back to his apartment.

***

Heading back to his place, Richard prayed that Anne would still be there.

His phone rang; and it was Francis.

“Hey Richard, I got news for you,” Francis said urgently. “Come to the lake…you have to be there!”

“I have no time for this!” Richard replied impatiently.

“It’s not that…there is a girl…she looks like Anne…and she’s walking into the water…the police—“

Immediately, Richard turned his car around and went to the lake.

It was the exact same location where he and Anthony Rivers performed magic with Bedford the Skunk.

There, more and more people were gathering to watch while the police officers were backing people away. Richard instantly spotted Anne—standing in the lake, fully clothed, with the water level up to her thighs. An old man was speaking to the cops. “I saw her at my apartment complex, sitting on the doorsteps. I asked her if she needs anything, she is not talking to me or make response. She looks familiar to me, and I mentioned that she looked like someone on TV. And she went nuts.”

_Later on I learned that your Grandmother Cecily went to speak to your mother when I was at your Uncle Ed’s. She had told your mother to pull herself together, go home, and reconcile with her family. Your mother did comply, but she had no money and thus could not afford a cab. Somehow she got to her house but could not enter because she did not have the key. Like a child being locked out, she did not know where to go. She did go back to my place, but could not even enter the building since she was not a resident. So she was sitting on the doorsteps waiting for me. And then it was that old man._

“I saw her putting stones in her pocket,” another onlooker told the cops. “I think she’s trying to pull a Virginia Woolf.”

Richard tried to pass by the onlookers and the cops, but the police officers stopped him. “You can’t cross.”

“No!” Richard protested. “She’s my friend…my family. She is going through a hard time now…let me talk to her.”

After arguing and reasoning with the cops for nearly 30 minutes, the officers finally agreed to give him five minutes.

Richard ran into the lake and stopped at a few feet behind her. “Anne…”

She ignored him, wrapping her arms around herself, and shivered.

“Anne…what are you doing here?” Richard tried to sound as normal as possible. “If you want to swim, we can go elsewhere. A big pool…cleaner water…it’s not even the season.”

No response.

“Anne, come let’s go home. You are causing a disturbance here. The cops will arrest you and put you in a mental institution if you don’t come with me now.”

Still no response.

“Anne, why are you doing this?” Richard was losing his patience. “You want to die? Is that it? Why are you choosing this method? Drowning yourself…what are you? Ophelia? It may sound romantic, but it’d very, very painful and slow death.” He stopped and approached closer. “If you do want to die, why are you still standing here? Go, go forward, drown yourself! Do it! But you are not, do you know why? Because you are a survivor! You want to live. You don’t want to die!”

She moved a little but still not saying a word.

“Look, I’m sorry your dream came to an end. You did not become a star as you hoped. So what? You are always the brightest star to me. You and I and everyone in our family—we’re just ordinary human beings to enjoy our everyday life without paparazzi or talk show appearance. We may play with the idea from time to time, but we’re just ordinary people. Like mice, we wake up, sneak out, get some cookies, and then back to our rat hole and enjoy our cookies.” He paused and then continued, “I’m hungry, and I’m sure you are too. It’s past lunch time. I’m in the mood for desert. Let’s go grab a cup of coffee and get some cookies. Come, we can be two hungry mice and go hunt for our cookies.”

Finally, Anne looked back at him. Her eyes were red and her face was pale.

“Richard,” she said spitefully. “This…this is all your fault! I hate you! You are the reason why I am here!”

_For a moment, I thought she found out about the curse._

“I…I’m sorry?”

Anne approached him and said bitingly, “You are the one who encouraged me to pursue my dream, even though everyone knew it was bogus, including me! But no, you have to use that Charlize Theron story to motivate me to go! You are the one who said ‘go to England’…and I went. It was a dream…turning INTO A NIGHTMARE! I thought I was going to shine on the red carpet like Natalie Dormer! But instead, I’M AN INTERNATIONAL LAUGHINGSTOCK LIKE KIM KARDASHIAN!”

She used her fists and smacked and punched Richard non-stop.

But at least she was walking towards the shore.

“Help…” Richard managed to yell. “Help! Help me somebody!”

The two struggled and fought and got themselves out of the water. Anne continued to hit Richard until she was exhausted. In the end, she was crying in Richard’s arms.

_After all that ranting and madness, your mother finally pulled herself together. The next morning, I went back to work with a band-aid on my forehead. Your mother remained at my place organizing her stuff. She was still living at my place on my expense, but at least, she could function like a normal human being._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virginia Woolf is a famous British writer, best known for her novel "Mrs. Dalloway". She committed suicide during World War II by drowning herself in the river with stones in her pocket.
> 
> Comments please!


	18. It's Hard Knock Life (for Anne)

_Ned, jobs are very important in life because that’s how you earn a living. A job is where you earn your money by doing honest work. Volunteer jobs may not be paid but they do give you the potential to earn big bucks in the future. In high school, you Uncle Ed tutored; your Uncle George was a cashier; and I delivered pizza. Your mother, of course, never worked as a teen since your Grandfather Richard was a big-name lawyer. Her first job was waitressing, if you were to discount her job as “writer” or “TV producer”._

_Surprised, aren’t you?_

_Yes, your mother once worked as a waitress…_

_…at Aunt Jackie River’s café of course._

_How she even got that job?_

_The answer is: me, myself, and I._

***

“Anne, I have a plan for you,” Richard said sternly as he stepped before Anne, blocking the TV.

“Richard, move,” she said unhappily, watching _Rome_ re-runs.

“First, turn it off. That show is unhealthy for you,” he told her. “Second, you need get out of that sofa and find yourself a job.”

“Excuse me?” Anne could not believe her ears. “I am watching that show because it’s therapy for me. You don’t know what I’ve been through. And second of all, how am I going to find a job? I don’t have a degree—“

“The job you are going to do does not require a degree,” Richard said. “Get up and I’m driving you to work.”

Anne gave him a suspicious look, but complied anyway. Given that she was a penniless fallen writer, she had no choice but to do whatever Richard told her to do.

***

When Richard brought her to The River’s Café, Anne stopped and laughed out loud.

“This is the place where I’m going to work?” Anne exclaimed in disbelief. “What am I? Cinderella?”

“Cut it out and let’s get inside,” Richard said and dismissed her attitude.

They went inside together. There, Anthony was waiting for them.

“Anne! Welcome aboard!” He said to her warmly and gave her a hug.

“See how great it is?” Richard pointed out. “No interview and you got a position.”

“What…what am I going to do?” Anne asked.

“Waitressing!” Anthony replied happily and handed her an apron. “When customers get here, you are going to take their orders and clean up after them. I am your supervisor and I promise you I am extremely easy to work for. You are working eight hours a day and your salary is $10.00 per hour plus tips.”

“But I never waitressed my entire life!”

“Don’t worry, I will train you.”

“How many waitresses are there?” Anne asked.

“Just one—you,” Anthony told her. “In the past, as you remembered, it’s me and my sister May taking customers’ orders at the front. Sometimes it gets busy and line is long. Now we have you. You will take the order for us and clean up after them. This will make life so much easier for May and I.”

Anne turned to Richard. “And why am I doing this? Are you out of your mind?”

“Because you can’t live at my place for free,” Richard told her seriously. “Trust me, it’s for your own good.”

“FYI, I am not born to serve anyone!”

“You think this job is low? Let me tell you something: Tommy Grey is folding underwear at Victoria Secret’s to pay his tuition.”

“Who in the world is Tommy Grey?”

“My nephew,” Anthony answered her. “Liz’s first son with her first husband.”

“So, does this job really look that bad?” Richard questioned. “Or maybe I should call your Dad and see what he thinks.”

Hearing that, Anne complained no more.

Either work or leave Richard’s place. After all, she had nowhere else to go.

Isabel and George got engaged again and moved in together; her father was probably still pissed about that Graham Norton incident.

“Fine,” she mumbled. “How much is the rent?”

“No rent,” Richard promised her. “But you have to contribute something—food, utilities, or other things in the house.”

Anne nodded, very unhappily.

_Your mother should’ve appreciated it. She had no idea what I’ve been through to get her that job._

A few days ago, Richard came to the River’s Café to speak with Anthony.

“Look, do me a favor, give Anne a job,” he said beseechingly. “She needs to get out of the house and earn her living.”

“And why should I offer her anything?” Anthony asked, as if Richard was kidding. “What experience could she have? That girl never worked her entire life!”

“Because it’s all your fault!” Richard raised his voice with a finger pointing at him. “Had you not advertised about your so-called gift as a descendant of a fishwoman, I wouldn’t come to you and none of this would’ve happened! Because of you, two lives are lost. Two people in heaven! Anne almost became number 3! I am telling you now, what you have done, or what we have done, we are both doomed to go to Hell! Why don’t you do something good, save a life! That way both of us would be cleaned from our sins and we’d fly to Heaven after death.”

_I still can’t believe I actually said that. And your Uncle Anthony bought it._

“Fine…we’re doomed,” Anthony began to sweat. “Let’s do good deeds and get us to heaven! Get Anne in here.”

“Thank you,” Richard was with a relief. “By the way, she’s emotionally fragile. Be nice and gentle with her.”

“I will!”

***

In the evening, Anne came home after Richard.

“How was your day?” He asked.

“Good, but boring,” Anne replied. “Nothing much to do. I collected tips but I did make…$20 from it. Here, buy yourself a pizza.”

“Thanks,” Richard said as he took it. “You like pepperoni?”

“Sure,” Anne sat and then asked him for band-aid. “I swept the floor and got blister from the broom.”

“How’s Anthony?” Richard asked and handed her a box of band-aid.

“He’s nice,” Anne said happily. “He’s a good listener and gave me good breaks. I like him.”

_Something did not sound right. So the next day, me and your Uncle Francis and Uncle Rob went there to check it out._

***

The three guys came to the River’s Café.

“Hey Richard, why are we here again?” Francis asked.

“To give Anne some support,” Richard said. “It’s her first job.”

“Interesting,” Rob remarked. “From an international bestselling author to a waitress. Amazing.”

“Hey, don’t,” Richard said. “Just go in there and let her serve us.”

The three went in and found everything disarray.

People were sitting at the tables or waiting in line. Anthony and May ran back and forth to make sure customers are getting what they ordered and collected their payment. Richard and his friends sat and waited someone to take their orders. But Anne was nowhere in sight.

“Where is Anne?” Francis asked.

“I don’t know,” Richard said, confused.

“Hey waitress!” Rob yelled out, waving at May. “We like to order!”

“Just one minute!” May gave them a quick smile and went to help other customers.

And then Anthony saw them. He gave them a grin and then cried out, “Faye! Your break is over!”

Finally, a young brunette, whose back was to the guys, turned and got back onto her feet. She was fixing her nails. Looking towards the direction where Anthony was pointing, she spotted Richard and his friends. Blushing, she went to them to take their orders.

“Hi,” she greeted uneasily. “Can I take your order?”

“Faye? Did you change your name?” Rob asked.

“Shh!” Anne immediately became nervous. “Don’t say it out loud! I am here as Faye because I don’t want people to know my real identity. Too embarrassing!”

“You were on a break while all this is happening?” Francis pointed out.

“Well, my boss over there gave me a break,” Anne replied as she happily waved to Anthony. “He has been training me to do all types of stuff. After each training, it’s a break.” Then she changed the subject. “What can I get for you guys today?”

“A cup of coffee,” Francis said.

“A cappuccino and a muffin,” Rob said.

“And you Richard?”

“A cup of tea and a croissant,” Richard said.

“Okay good. I’ll be with you guys in a few minutes.”

She left with their orders.

And she did not come back until about half an hour.

“Okay, here’s coffee for Bob,” she began.

“Rob,” Rob Percy corrected her.

“Oops! Well, it’s all short for Robert,” she said with her face red. “Cappuccino for Richard and a croissant. And tea and muffin for Francis.” Then she put down three plates of coffee cakes.

“Uhmm…we didn’t order cake,” Francis reminded her.

“I know, but it’s so good!” Anne said excitedly. “I want you to have a good taste of it!”

“How much is it?” Richard asked.

“Don’t you worry about that! I got you covered!” She said with a happy dance. “Enjoy!”

The three looked at her skipping back to the counter and then looked at their mixed up orders. Francis took back his coffee and spit it out after one sip. “She didn’t even add cream and sugar,” he said with a disgusted face.

A few minutes later, Anne came back with their check. “Remember to add tips!”

“Okay,” Richard said as nice as he could.

“Hey we are still waiting for our coffee!” Another customer yelled out.

“Be there in a sec!” Anne went to the back to get more coffee.

On the receipt, Richard put down $20 as tip.

“Geeze! Are you kidding me?” Francis exclaimed in disbelief. “That much for this?”

“Hey, don’t,” Richard said nonchalantly. “She did get us cakes.”

“But that’s not too honest,” Rob remarked. “The tip goes to her but the café is not getting the money for the cake.”

“That’s illegal,” Francis said with a lower voice.

“Chill, it’s fine,” Richard said. “It’s her first job and she’s doing the best she could. Anthony will see to that.”

“Really?” Rob wasn’t too convinced. “He’s seems too nice to be her boss.”

The three looked at Anne and Anthony. Anne accidently dropped the tray and smashed the mugs into pieces. She cut her hand while trying to cleaning up the mess. Anthony did not reprimand her. Instead, he comforted her and bandaged her hand. May came back grumpily with a broom.

“I don’t know,” Richard shrugged.

When May came by, Francis asked her, “Where’s your mom?”

“Oh she’s taking care of Dad,” May told him. “He’s not well. Anthony is taking charge, _unfortunately_.”

_After some bargaining, I managed to get your Uncle Rob and Uncle Francis to leave a big tip as well. All three of us agreed that Anne would not last long with this job, at least not long after Aunt Jackie Rivers coming back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is from the song in the musical "Annie", which ironically is the nickname for Lady Anne Neville in TWQ verse. From Anne's perspective, working at the cafe as a waitress is "hard knock life" even though others may have different opinion.
> 
> Comments please!
> 
> As you probably remember, this fic is inspired by "Mother Hulda" or "Mother Holley" - a Grimm's Brothers fairy tale. The elements of that fairy tale is going to show.
> 
> Cheers!


	19. Give Anne another chance

“Ma,” May Rivers called her mother in a whisper from the café’s kitchen. “We got a major problem. When are you coming back?”

“Soon, your father is out of the hospital now,” Jackie Rivers said, answering from home. “His blood pressure is stabilized. He should be fine in a few days. Your sister Kathy is helping. She’s home care nurse.”

“I know Ma, but things are chaotic here!” May complained.

“Where’s Anthony?” Jackie River asked. “Isn’t he taking care of anything?”

“No!” May replied with frustration. “Anthony is…useless and hopeless. Him and Faye—I mean Anne—are nothing but troubles!”

“Anne? Who in the world is Anne?” Jackie Rivers could not be more confused.

“Anne Neville! Attorney Richard Neville’s daughter! The one who wrote the books and had a fiancé tried to jumped over the bridge!”

“Anne Neville is causing trouble at the café?” Jackie was in disbelief.

“She’s working here!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Anthony gave her a job as a waitress—Mom, stop laughing! It isn’t funny!” May became more pissed than ever. “Anne is here working as a waitress under a fake name Faye to avoid attention and embarrassment. She is doing none of her duties and I am sick and tired of picking up pieces after her. Whenever there’s a disagreement, Anthony took her side. She is Anthony’s little princess. Anne is never the type of person who can do any work for the sake of others. Yesterday Anthony asked her to sort the coffees, she messed it all up and asked me to take it over, crying for fifteen minutes and not even knowing what she was doing. Each time she got into trouble she cries and Anthony gives her a break.”

“And he’s paying her?”

“Yeah!” May spat. “Ten bucks per hours while she sat and did nothing for 6 hours and did whatever she did in the remaining two! She only served her friends and showered them with sweets which they did not pay for! Ma, you have to come back and do something!”

***

After work, Richard came to the café to check up on Anne. He took a seat and Anne came to him.

“What can I get for you today?” She asked gleefully.

“A cup of coffee and a croissant,” he told her. “Seriously, you should’ve known my routine order by now.”

“Sorry, but it’s the protocol!” She took his order and went to the back. “Anthony! We need coffee!”

But it was May who answered her. “Anthony is not here! Make coffee on your own!”

Anne grumped. “Fine!”

She went to the coffee machine but found no coffee made. Thus, she had to make coffee herself.

But how?

Anthony did show her, once. Yet, she never tried it or attempted to.

Now how to make coffee?

She saw the bags of coffee on the counter. She cut them open, and found coffee beans inside. Okay, what should she do? On the other side of the counter, she saw a blender.

Ah ha!

She went to the blender and poured all the coffee beans in there. Logically, she thought, if she could blend the coffee beans and then mix them with water…yeah that should work! But then, there was another problem.

How to use a blender?

And is one bag even enough?

Tapping her head, she poured another bag of coffee beans into the blender.

And then another.

By now the blender is full of coffee beans.

Then she added some milk.

That should work.

It was plugged.

So now…wait, how long has Richard been waiting?

To get it done quickly, Anne hit the max power and turned it on.

Only she had forgotten to put the lid on.

***

Richard had waited for at least twenty minutes. All he asked for was a cup of coffee and a croissant; it shouldn’t take her more than five minutes.

Staring at the door to the back, he wondered what is going on back there. Anthony was not around.

Then he started to hear noises; and it was getting louder and louder.

And then there were screams.

“What’s going on?”

Richard looked behind him and found Tom Grey, Liz’s son from her first marriage, came with his grandmother Jackie. Before he could say anything, Tom raced to the back. Jackie went behind him, already guessing what could be happening. Pushing the back door open, she gasped.

And then camera flash.

Tom was holding his camera phone and snapped a picture of Jackie’s exact expression when she saw the kitchen.

Milk plus coffee beans were spilt everywhere.

Before her, stood May and Anne, who was covered with milk and coffee.

“Sorry Nana!” Tom tried to hide his grin. “I really need to take a picture of your expression! Priceless!” With that said, he ran out of the kitchen within a second.

Jackie angrily stared at the two girls before her. “What have you done to my kitchen?”

“No, not me!” May cried, with her finger pointing at Anne. “It’s all her!”

“I’m trying to make coffee!” Anne explained with her voice pitch high. “It’s the machine that went wrong!”

“And who makes coffee by putting coffee beans in a blender?” May snapped. “And you blend it without the lid on!”

“There is a lid?” Anne had no idea what she was referring to. “What lid?”

“Enough!” Jackie yelled.

Just in time, Anthony came. He looked around and then looked at his angry mother. Holding down his uneasiness, he asked, “What’s going on?”

“What do you think?” Jackie questioned him. “How dare you? We are a legitimate business, not a media circus!”

“Ma, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you are having this useless creature here doing nothing except for making trouble!” Jackie exclaimed while pointing at Anne.

“Ma, I promise you that Anne is never trouble,” Anthony said, trying to calm his mother down.

“Well then, how do you explain this!” She yelled with her arms in the air.

“Umm…machine malfunction?”

Jackie gave him a death glare.

“Okay, fine,” Anthony said. “We’ll clean it up. I’ll show Faye—“

“Forget it!” Jackie interrupted him before he could finish. “Get her out of my café and I don’t want to see her face again. She’s fired!”

“I…I’m fired?” Anne muttered as if she heard it wrong.

“That is correct,” Jackie told her evenly. “Leave, now!”

“But wait a minute!” Anne would not have it. Not that she understood what she did wrong, but because it was hard for her to accept the fact that she was being “fired” by blue-collar people like Jackie. “First, it’s your machine that sucks! It could’ve been avoided if you were to have high quality machines instead of cheap ones made in Taiwan! And second of all, in case if you forget, you probably wouldn’t even be here had it not been for my father! And third, I am Anne Neville, international best-selling author and former executive producer of BBC! It’s your fortune that I am even standing here!”

“Oh really?” Jackie folded her arms. “First of all, no one with an IQ of 100 would put coffee beans into a blender to make coffee. Don’t you know that? No, because you got so used to be served by others and you only looked at people down from your nose to even pay attention to the most mundane facts in life. Second, whatever your father did for us, he was paid in full and it is in the past. And lastly, your so-called writing is nothing huge. I read your work and let me tell you, your writing is only cheap entertainment. I saw your show and frankly, it makes no sense! Don’t you even have common sense? Your script is killing all the actors on the scene. That guy who played Ricky is like he was sucking a lemon in the last two episodes! Get real, you are a nobody! And you are certainly not good enough to work here. Now, get out!”

Anne’s lips quivered upon hearing what Jackie had said to her.

Abruptly, she turned to leave. She stopped and looked at Anthony, “My last paycheck?”

“The milk and coffee on you is your paycheck!” Jackie answered before Anthony could say a word.

Sniffling, Anne stormed out of the café.

***

_Your mother walked back to my place. I assumed that she probably got fired by Aunt Jackie; it was an easy guess. Both she and Aunt Jackie were very upset. Your mother came back and attracted attentions from several neighbors with her looks. She locked herself in the bathroom and cried like a baby. I thought about talking to her, but changed my mind. Instead, I went to the River’s Café to talk to Aunt Jackie._

_Don’t take it wrong, Aunt Jackie is a strong woman and she is the voice of reason._

“Hi,” Richard greeted Jackie uneasily as she was cleaning up the café.

“Sorry we’re closing,” Jackie said to him without looking at him in the eye. Richard could only guess that Anthony probably told her that he was the one who asked him to give Anne a job.

“Look, I’m sorry—“

“For what?” Jackie snapped. “What are you sorry for? Don’t shoulder the burden and responsibilities that are not yours. You are an adult, and she is too.”

“Aunt Jackie,” Richard approached carefully. “Is there any possibility that you can give Anne another chance?”

“Get out of here!” Jackie nearly laughed. “You want to see this place burned down? That girl had caused enough damage here.”

“But Aunt Jackie, back then it was Anne’s father who saved this place,” Richard reminded her. “Base of that, you should give her another chance.”

“If you bring that up again, I will beat you with this broomstick!” Jackie said hatefully and pointed a finger at Richard’s nose. “It’s all in the past! We don’t owe the Neville’s anything!”

“Look, Anne is a nice girl,” Richard said. “She’s not like her mother. She…she was going to live on her own, not depending on her parents. None of us is good at our first jobs. She makes mistake, like all of us.”

“And how could one person be this messed up?” Jackie shook her head. “Putting the coffee beans in the blender instead of the grinder—“

“But shouldn’t Anthony be training her on that?” Richard pointed it out. “Based on what I’ve seen and heard, Anthony did not do a good job on supervising her either. On top of that, it’s Anthony’s fault that she’s ended up here.”

“How is it Anthony’s fault?” Jackie raised an eyebrow.

Richard was baffled. He was referring to that “curse” he and Anthony put on Anne’s show and on Lancaster. Anthony had made him promise not to tell Jackie.

“Well…”

“Well what?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Well, that day if it wasn’t Anthony I would’ve got to the airport in time to stop her!” Richard said quickly. “I wanted to go stop her from going to London but no, Anthony was keeping me here and I lost the track of time!”

He made it all up.

“For your information, Anne made her own choice,” Jackie said, folding her arms. “She had plenty of time to cancel her flight prior to her departure. She had plenty of time to think! Apparently her thinking skills and common sense are not good.”

“Come on Aunt Jackie, you are a nice person, and you are a big person,” Richard said pleadingly. “Give her another chance! I’m sure that Anne can learn a lot from you. Anthony failed to give her proper training, you can provide her one. Anne has potential in her. Let her offer something.”

Jackie looked at him and then asked, “What is between the two of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and her, are you two seeing each other?”

“No,” Richard answered quickly.

“Why are you here for her?”

“Because I do care for her,” Richard admitted. “Remember back when she was only a kid she used to be here buying cakes and croissants every day? She had brought you business. And there’s something you don’t know. When Ed went to see Mr. Neville to fight for this café, he got kicked out. Later I went with him, we got thrown out again. But then, we bumped into her. And she led us to her father through a secret short-cut. Hadn’t it been for Anne, Mr. Neville wouldn’t even have heard about your case. Please Jackie, give her another chance.”

After a long moment, Jackie gave in. “Fine, but under one condition—“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday to Richard III!


	20. How to become a good waitress in 13 ways

_We all fail at times in our life, and no one excelled at something they just started. A learning curve is always needed. Your mother’s first attempt as a waitress was a miserable failure. It didn’t do any good to her mental health. Yet, Aunt Jackie Rivers was willing to give her a second chance._

_Under one condition._

_That I, Richard York, need to have her trained properly._

_In other words, on the day she would start working at the River’s Café again, she had to be in the right attitude and doing the right things._

_She’d have to be every inch of a perfect waitress._

_It was not an easy task._

“Anne,” Richard approached her and began to speak. “You and I, we got work to do.”

“What now?” Anne looked away in frustration. Her tone was not happy yet her voice was low.

“We got work to do,” Richard repeated. “I spoke to Aunt Jackie—“

“Is she willing to give me the paycheck she owes me?” Anne asked.

“No,” Richard said and sat next to her. “She is willing to give you another chance—“

“Forget it!” Anne stood up and folded her arms. “No way and no how!”

“But you have to.”

“No, I don’t,” Anne looked at him determinedly. “Haven’t I suffered enough humiliation? Daughter of Richard Neville working as a waitress and being mistreated. I’m not going back there!”

“Anne, no one is good at their first job,” Richard said. “I sucked at my first job too. Charlize Theron—“

“Oh here we go again!” Anne hated that Charlize Theron story.

“Charlize Theron’s first films failed with the critics and in box office!” Richard continued despite her annoyance. “But after years of trying and hard work, boom here’s _Devil’s Advocate_ and _Monster_. Box office and Oscar. Things take work!”

“For your information, my dream is not to be an excellent waitress!”

“But what are you going to be for the time being?” Richard pointed out. “You need to get out of this place and find a way to support yourself. You are welcome to stay here but what if…one day I’m gone—“ He suddenly stopped right there. The last thing he wanted to do was to remind her Edouard Lancaster again. “You’re right, you were not treated right. Anthony failed to give your proper training and Aunt Jackie shouldn’t judge you like that.”

“You got that right,” Anne said.

“Then prove them wrong!” Richard said. “Show them how smart and good you can be! Show them! In the end, it’d be Aunt Jackie apologizing to you and paying you big!”

“I can’t go back there,” Anne said again.

“Anne—“

“Where am I going to get a proper training?” Anne asked.

“From me,” Richard replied.

“What?” Anne almost laughed out loud. “How are you going to train me?”

“Simple,” Richard said. “From today and on, you are going to be my personal waitress. You are working for me in exchange of boarding and food.”

Anne stared at him in disbelief.

“How are you going to train me?” Anne asked.

Richard showed her a typed list. “I did some research and it’s all right here. From now on, when I wake up in the morning, you are serving me breakfast. When I’m home, I expect you to serve me dinner. Then in the evening, you are cleaning up the kitchen. Right attitude, right smile, and right orders.”

As Anne looked through the list, Richard said, “I’m going to work. When I come back, I want chicken for dinner.”

“But—“ Before she could finish, Richard was already gone.

Anne grumpily read the list and wondered how she is going to meet these requirements.

***

_1)_ _Fall in love with what you do_

“I hate this job!” Anne yelled as she tried to cut the chicken apart. Using Richard’s computer, she tried to learn how to cook on her own. To her, cooking was much more difficult than chemistry. As she cut the chicken, she became more and more emotional. Alone and looking around her, she began to wonder how she ended up like this.

So many people she’s mad at.

The more she thought of it, the harder she cut the chicken.

Margaret Anjou, an idiot who trusted the wrong people in BBC…

Edmund Beaufort, a bloody asshole…

Edouard Lancaster, a stupid boy who killed not only himself but his mother as well…

Her father…

Richard…

Jackie Rivers…

But in the end, she realized the she could blame no one other than herself.

She ended up sobbing and her tears fell on the chicken.

But it made her feel better.

She wanted to forget about the past and move on to a new life. Maybe living here and learn some new skills wouldn’t be so bad after all.

_2) Assist guests before they even got to the table_

“Anne, I’m home!” Richard yelled as he entered the apartment.

“Welcome!” Anne received him and took his jacket. “Dinner is ready.”

Plates and utensils were already laid out.

“Here’s are the buns,” Anne said as she placed a basket of buns before him. “Butter if you need it. And the main entrée: chicken.”

Before him on a large white plate was a boiled-chicken with no sauce or anything on it.

“This is chicken?”

“Yes!” Anne said. “And this is all we have.”

“This is not chicken!”

“Yes it is,” Anne insisted. “It’s water-boiled and it’s healthy!” Then she handed him salt and pepper. “If you need any taste, salt and pepper can do you good!”

Richard could say nothing more. Chicken was all there was. He cut a piece and placed it in his mouth.

_3)_ _Look good and smell nice_

Anne looked at herself in the mirror and realized what a mess she was. A makeover maybe?

When she worked with Margaret Anjou in London, she remodeled herself. Or rather, Margaret Anjou remodeled her. She looked pretty and decent under Margaret Anjou’s direction, but it didn’t make her feel comfortable.

It didn’t feel like her.

Now without makeup and luxury, for the first time, Anne wondered who she really was.

She washed the face clean and put her hair up nicely in a ponytail.

A girl next door…but maybe that’s who she truly was.

“Anne! I need my coffee!”

“Coming!”

_4)_ _Anticipate what your guests need_

What does Richard like? Anne asked herself. Based on what she knew of him, he likes croissants. He could get the freshest ones at bakeries. But at home, he could use coffee. As for dinner, he would instruct her on what to make. He had a good appetite. He liked salads. He liked diet coke.

_5)_ _Repeat the order exactly_

“Here’s what I want for dinner,” Richard said as he handed Anne the instructions one morning.

“Okay, pasta and meatballs,” Anne read from word to word. “Would you prefer Italian breadsticks this time?”

“Sure.”

“Oh but wait, we might need to shop for grocery,” Anne pointed out. “You are out of pastas.”

“Fine, we can go shopping this evening,” Richard said and gave her a wink.

She was getting better.

_6)_ _Remember your regulars_

Pasta, meatballs, chicken, breadsticks…

“And coffee,” Anne said. “We are almost out of coffee. You must have coffee every morning.”

So they grabbed coffee.

“And croissant,” Anne added. “Just in case if you don’t have time at the mornings.”

And what else?

“What do you like?” Richard asked her.

“I don’t know,” Anne shrugged. “Whatever is edible.”

_7) Never let their drinks run out_

One night, Richard came home with a group of buddies. It was their poker night.

“Beer?” Anne offered. She had one bottle of Bud Light for each guy. She dressed nice and had her hair up in a ponytail. “What would you like to order for tonight?”

“Pizza!” Richard said without even looking up.

“What kind?” Anne asked. “You got a hand of aces!”

“Anne!” Richard rebuked. His guy friends smirked.

“Pepperoni,” Francis Lovell chimed.

“Okay, Pepperoni. Anyone else?”

“We’re good!” Rob Percy gave her a thumb up.

_8)_ _Once they received their food, ask specific questions about their meal._

“How’s your pizza?” Anne asked as Francis ate.

“Good.”

“Any more beer?”

“Sure.”

“And you Rob?”

“Bob.”

“No, your name is Rob,” Anne said. “Beer?”

“No, I’m good.”

_9)_ _Sell more food_

“Just to let you know, because of this order, we’ve got a coupon for chicken wings. Buffalo wings sound good. Shall we order it for the next poker night?” Anne asked.

“Yep!” Richard said.

_10)_ _Offer to box up their meal_

“Anyone want to take the remaining pizza?” Anne asked as she clearing up the pizza boxes.

“No thanks!”

“Fine, then we can use it for lunch tomorrow!” Anne said cheerfully.

_11)_ _Be checked ready_

“Okay, the total is…$25.00,” Anne announced. “And plus 15% of tip.”

“For what?” Francis asked.

“For me!” Anne said. “I’ve served you guys with beers and pizza. I should be rewarded.”

Each guy took out five bucks and handed it to Anne.

_12)_ _Manicure the table_

After the guys left, Anne cleaned the living room and the kitchen. She wiped the table over and over.

“You men are pigs!” She joked. “Always a mess.”

“You are making good progress,” Richard remarked. “I think you’re ready to go back there.”

“Do I need to?” Anne whined. “I can be your waitress at home. It’s good enough.”

“No, it’s not,” Richard said. “The goal is for you to win this battle and show yourself that you can live on your own and make your own living. It will do you good, trust me.”

“Anthony…he never gave me any proper training,” Anne told Richard as they sat. “He basically allowed me to play around. I had no idea what I was doing, and he never showed me. At times, I wonder if he was using me as a…bait to get more customers. May tried to be nice. By the way, one question, how are you supposed to make coffee from coffee beans?”

“Easy, coffee grinders,” Richard replied. “They should have it, with instructions.”

“I guess I really did make a big fool of myself,” Anne said. “Putting these beans into a blender, add milk, turn it on without the lid…”

And then she began to laugh.

So did Richard.

_13)_ _Become a product expert by knowing your menu_

Richard came home and brought a menu from the River’s Café. “A cheat-cheat,” he told her. “Read it over and learn.”

In bed, Anne looked over the menu and tried to memorize it. She then started to play with the items, wondering what goes good with what. Richard found her sleeping the next morning on the coach with that menu in hand.

“You’re ready to go back in there?” He asked.

“I should.”

“No, that’s not the right answer.”

“Yes, I’m ready to go back in there.”

“Good. You’ll start the next Monday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Source for tips on being a good waitress: http://www.wikihow.com/Earn-More-Tips-as-a-Waiter-or-Waitress 
> 
> Comment please!


	21. Anne is my girlfriend!

_Your mother is a smart woman, Ned. You take after her. She may be clumsy at times but she always manages to make things work. Aunt Jackie Rivers has her fair share of stubbornness and she rarely changes her mind about people. Your mother, miraculously, earned her praise and trust despite a disastrous beginning._

“You’re sure that you’d be okay?” Richard asked her for a million times before dropping her off at the River’s Café.

“I’ll be fine,” Anne replied confidently while fixing her hair. “I’m going to go in there and do my job. I don’t care how nasty they are.”

He pulled over and said to her, “Good luck! Call me if things don’t work out—“

“Things will work out!” Anne insisted as she got out of the car. She turned and waved Richard goodbye. He watched as she entered the café.

***

She did not come home until very late at around 10:00 PM. Richard was worried.

“Where were you?” He asked when she came home. “You didn’t call.”

“I don’t have a phone,” Anne reminded him. “I can’t use the café’s phone for personal purposes. Jackie is a dictator for sure, but she’s nice enough to drive me home.” Then she fished out a bunch of cash from her pocket. “Oh, look at the tips I collected!” She counted and counted. “$65.00 altogether. Not bad?”

“Impressed,” Richard nodded.

“I love to chat more but I need to sleep. Tomorrow I have to get up early for my morning shift,” Anne said. “Good night.”

“Night,” Richard said as she went into the bedroom.

He was still sleeping on the couch.

***

The next morning he woke up and found Anne already gone. Coffee was brewing and breakfast was already prepared. She did left a note, wishing him a good day and reminding him to get toilet papers. Richard smirked.

He and Anne were living like a couple, sort of.

Like Will and Grace?

No, God no.

Grace loves men, but so did Will.

And Richard only loved Anne.

She came home late again, but in good spirit. She had handful of tales based on her experience with the customers. “Did you remember to buy the toilet paper?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Great, I really need to use the bathroom.”

She went in and then Richard heard her yelp. “Where’s the toilet paper?”

“I lied, I forgot!” Richard replied as he tried to hold down his laugh.

“What? I’m going to kill you! Do you have tissues? I need something!”

“Just kidding! The toilet papers are in the cabinet.”

She stopped yelling and then the sound of flushing followed. She walked out and said, “Richard, you are such a bad man!”

“I guess.”

She took a deep breath, and then said, “Good night.”

“Night.”

***

It was the weekend, but Anne was busier than ever. She spent the entire weekend working. Richard began to mind her absence. He had mentioned about visiting her at the café to give her support. But Anne refused.

“I don’t know, but Jackie doesn’t seem to like seeing you, me, and Anthony together there,” Anne said uncomfortably. “She is still mad, a little.”

She, in fact, begged Richard not to go there.

But she certainly had earned Jackie’s trust.

One night, Richard found her staying up late, researching and with all types of menus before her.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“I’m working on a project, helping Jackie,” Anne explained. “The café doesn’t offer combos. I suggested it to Jackie and she likes the idea. I had some experiences in England, knowing their pastries and tea. Jackie placed this project in my hand to come up with good combos.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be Anthony’s job?”

“He…I don’t know how to say this…Anthony Rivers is not very…uhm…wise at time,” Anne told him. “He makes Jackie shake her head from time to time.”

It seemed like Anne is getting better and better at her job.

***

Despite Anne’s begging, Richard and Francis swung by. They didn’t enter the café per se, but they were watching from the window. Richard’s eyes fixed on Anne’s figure, moving back and forth. Richard went closer to the window to have a clearer look. He saw Anne, collecting the mugs and napkins with the tray, went to Anthony at the counter. The two were laughing together.

Suddenly, jealousy came to him.

Anne and Anthony certainly looked like they were having a good time. They seemed to be…close.

A little too close perhaps?

Jackie then walked out from the back and the two immediately went back to their work.

Every night she came home, it was always about Anthony.

Something Anthony did, or something Anthony said.

Anthony, Anthony, Anthony…

As time went by, it was Anthony who was picking Anne up; it was Anthony who took Anne home; it was Anthony who grabbed dinner with Anne; and it was Anthony whom Anne spent a lot of time with.

What is going on?

His curiosity became stronger and stronger.

***

“Anne?”

Two women about her age came to the café. Anne recognized them instantly. “Veronica? Nell?”

The three them burst out screaming in thrill and jumped to hug each other.

_Veronica and Nell were the girls who schemed with your mother on your Aunt Izzy and Uncle George’s engagement party years ago._

“Oh Anne! It’s so good to see you!”

After all the hugging, Anne got her friends a table and served them with sweets and coffee. Veronica and Nell looked on in disbelief as Anne waitressed. “Anne, when’s your break?”

Looking at the clock, Anne replied, “In about five minutes actually.”

“How long is your break?”

“About thirty minutes.”

“Then sit with us,” Veronica asked.

“Sure.”

Anne did miss her friends and these good old times, which further assured her that being a celebrity was something that she would never want to be again. During her break, she sat with the girls and ate with them.

“Anne, what are you doing here?” Veronica asked. “Waitressing? I thought I was dreaming!”

“Ronnie, please. I don’t how it looks, but it’s a job.”

“Anne, you need to get a real job,” Nell said. “Let’s talk about reality, how long do you plan to do this?”

“I don’t know,” Anne replied honestly. “Eventually I’ll get a better job. But I do need to earn some money on my own.”

“What happened in England?” Veronica asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Anne said gravely.

“Fine then, don’t,” Veronica changed the subject. “What are your future plans?”

“I don’t know,” Anne said again. “I don’t have a degree. I need to go back to school at some point.” She paused then asked, “So what have you girls been doing?”

“Finishing law school,” Nell said. “Preparing to pass the bar.”

“And you Ronnie?”

“Applying for MBA program,” Veronica answered. “Seriously Annie, you don’t belong here. You have so much in you. Get out of here and find a place where you belong. You are much better than to be the waitress of the year.”

Hearing her friends’ success in career truly got to her.

“I don’t know. First thing I need to do is to find a way to go back to school.”

“Then do. Any college would do,” Veronica encouraged. “State schools are affordable, and you can apply for loans. You can do this Annie. Leave this place.”

Anne let out a smile. “I’ll think about it.”

Before they left, Nell pulled Anne to the side and handed her a business card. “Anne, this is the contact information of my mentor. His law firm needs a legal assistant. You can work there. My mentor is a great person. He might even allow you to work-study. Call him.”

“Thank you!” Anne hugged her friend gratefully. “But, I have to say, I am happy here.”

“And a favor please?” Nell fished out a copy of the novel _So Ricky_. “My mother loves this. Can you sign this for her?”

***

Later that day, as Anne was wiping the table, an older man passed by. He stopped and rubbed his eyes.

He stood there and watched, for hours.

_And that man was your grandfather Richard Neville._

***

“Richard, you have to tell her!” Francis urged him. “Come on, you took care of that girl this long! You need to tell her!”

Richard looked down at his hands.

“So what are you going to do then?” Rob Percy asked. “Watching as she runs away with Anthony?”

“Anthony?” George walked in behind them. “Trust me, that will not happen.”

“How would you know?” Richard asked.

“Anthony is different,” George lowered his voice. “I _know_.”

“Anthony and Anne are spending time together 24-7!” Richard complained, not even listening to George. “Whenever she’s home it’s Anthony, Anthony, and Anthony! I’m so sick of it!”

“But how’d you know if something actually is happening?” Rob asked. “Have you been there?”

“No,” Richard admitted. “She asked me not to come.”

“Why not?”

“She’s a little shy I guess.”

“Why don’t the four of us go to the café and see what’s going on?” Francis suggested. “Let’s go.”

***

The four guys went to the Rivers Café. They found a table and sat. Richard looked around for Anne.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

It was Anthony who served them.

“Hi all,” he greeted them. “Oh hi Richard! Good to see you again.”

“Where’s Anne?”

“Ma is giving her a day off!” Anthony told him.

“Seems like Anne is doing pretty good here,” Richard said, as he began to bite his croissant.

Hearing that, Anthony burst out laughing. “Of course!” Then, uneasily, he told them, “Anne is my girlfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!
> 
> This story is coming to an end in like...two chapters :)


	22. Anne is my girlfriend!, Part 2

Sitting in the backseat in a taxi cab, Anne looked outside from the window. Recalling the conversation she had with Jackie, for once, she saw the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

She was in the back brewing coffee. Jackie stood not too far, watching. Suddenly, she asked her, “Why did you change your ending?”

“What?” Anne stopped her work and turned to Jackie. “What are you talking about?”

“Your books and the show,” Jackie repeated herself as she approached Anne. “Why did you change it?”

“I didn’t,” Anne said softly, looking away. “I always meant to end it that way.”

“Really?” Jackie tried to look into her eyes. “My instincts say otherwise.”

“Why are you saying that?”

“Because the novels and the earlier episodes before the finale make much more sense,” Jackie told her. “The writing is in depth and the plot is entertaining and smart. But the ending…it’s coming out of nowhere.”

Anne was silent.

“Is it because of him?”

“Who?”

“Richard.”

Anne looked away. “No, it has nothing to do with him.”

“Honey, I lived over sixty years and witnessed all kinds of dramas and crises after overseeing this place. I know what I’m talking about. The character Ricky is based on your childhood crush Richard York. Am I right?”

“No,” Anne denied. “I did like Richard, but that was years ago. I was only thirteen.”

“But why is your title called _So Ricky_? Not _So Eddie_?” Jackie questioned. “Ricky…isn’t it short for Richard?”

“Just a coincidence.”

“Anne, the way that character Ricky acted and the way that actor looked,” Jackie almost laughed. “If you know that boy Richard York, you can’t be mistaken.”

After a long uncomfortable silence, Anne finally admitted, “When I was writing the novels, the story just flew out of me like music. I never thought of anything, just writing what’s in my mind. But after the production began, I started to freak out. The actor playing Richard—I mean Ricky—I can’t remember his name but it’s difficult to pronounce; he’s a theater actor Wales. I didn’t select him; Margaret Anjou did after the test screening. After seeing it, I nearly had a heart attack.”

“Does this Margaret Anjou know Richard?”

“No, but I did tell her something,” Anne shrugged. “We talk, you know, since TV show plotlines are often based on real life. Maybe I talked about Richard quite a bit, but soon Margaret began to raise an eyebrow.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m supposed to be in love with her son Edouard and marrying him, but the show is indicating otherwise, as if I’m still crazy about Richard. Margaret Anjou certainly doesn’t want to support a girl who’s not truly in love with her son. And I do love Edouard and he loves me. So, I rewrote the ending. Maybe I was trying to convince myself.”

And Margaret Anjou did have a good reason to suspect Anne’s feeling towards Richard. A couple of times on the set Anne called the actor who played Ricky “Richard”. That actor was confused at first, but then got offended. Angrily, he said to Anne, “You are calling me ‘Richard’! Are you saying that I look like that incompetent King of England who looks like he got anemia?”

“He loves you,” Jackie told her.

“Who?”

“Who do you think?” Jackie said. “It was he who came here to ask me to give you a second chance. It was he who took you in after your fall from grace. What in the world could make a man do all that for a woman?”

“But Edouard—“

“What about him?”

“He’s gone,” Anne’s voice was barely audible. Talking about Edouard still hurt her. “He’s gone. He’s dead because I asked him to propose in a special way. How can I move on while he’s lying dead six feet under without a head?”

She was referring to what happened to Edouard’s dead body after he fell.

“Why did he choose to hop on a motorcycle and jump over the bridge?” Jackie asked. “You did ask him to propose in a special way. But he could have a plane flying over London with a banner asking you to marry him. Or have a gigantic flower arrangement that spell out you name. There are a million other special and _safe_ way to propose. Hadn’t he considered the potential impact on you and his mother if anything were to happen to him?”

“Margaret Anjou had a stroke after seeing that on TV,” Anne said quietly. “She’s gone too.”

“But you are not. Trust me, if Edouard truly loved you, then he’d want to see you move on and live happily.”

“How could you know? If you lost your husband, you can’t move on that easily!”

“That’s because we have married for over forty-years!” Jackie said. “I was only sixteen when I married my first husband. After his death, I married my Richard. You have to move on. We used the money my first husband left me and found this café. We had faced numerous obstacles. More than a few times did Rich and I had considered splitting, but that never happened for real. At the time, when we were younger, Rich and I said to each other, if one of us dies, God forbids, then move on, find another, and be happy.”

“So…”

“So go,” Jackie took her work from her. “Leave this to me, go find your Richard and tell him the truth. I’m giving you a day off. If Edouard were here, he’d tell you the same thing.”

After a few hesitations, Anne took off her apron and went to the door. Before she left, she gave Jackie a warm hug.

“Thank you.”

She ran out of the café, called a cab, and went to Richard’s workplace.

She knew where he worked. Richard gave her his address at work just in case if she needed him.

But after she got there, she was told that Richard had already left for lunch.

No, they didn’t know where he went.

Ironically, about fifteen minutes earlier, Richard went to the River’s Café with Francis, Rob, and George to “spy” on Anne and Anthony Rivers.

They missed each other, by chance.

***

“One and two and three and four and five! Breathe!” Two EMTs were working on Richard as he unconsciously lying on the floor.

He was eating a croissant when Anthony declared, “Anne is my girlfriend.”

Then either he choked on the croissant or he was overly shocked—whatever the reason—he fell on the floor unconscious. Panicking, George dialed 911. Anthony, shivering from head to toe, ordered all the customers to back away. “Oh my God, I killed him! Oh my God, I killed him!”

“Since when you and Anne are dating?” Rob Percy asked him.

“No! It’s a joke!” Anthony explained nervously. “I just want to see how he’d react! I didn’t expect this!”

“How can you make such a joke?” Francis demanded. “Don’t you know how much Anne means to him? What are you trying to do? Kill him?”

The ambulance and EMTs arrived.

After a few attempts, Richard regained his conscious.

“Oh thank God!” George was relieved.

“We need to take you to the hospital,” the EMTs said to Richard. “You need more tests to make sure you’re okay.” With that said, they put him on a stretcher and placed a blood pressure cuff on his arm.

“Hospital…no doctor can help…” Richard murmured.

After all, not even the best cardiologist can cure a broken heart.

“Wait, Richard,” Anthony ran after him. “I was kidding. Anne is _not_ my girlfriend!”

Richard gave him a look as if he’s not convinced.

“No, it’s true! I was really kidding,” Anthony insisted. “To tell you the truth—“

_What your Uncle Anthony said next, I can’t tell you._

Everyone’s eyes fixed on Anthony after he finished talking. Eyes were widened, but then followed by shrugs. Richard’s face was priceless; but his blood pressure went up too. “I need to get out of here,” he told the EMTs. “My cardiovascular system can’t handle this.”

Anthony tried to run after him, but George stopped him. “Enough! My brother wants to live!” Then he turned to Francis and Rob. “Told you!”

The onlookers turned their attention back to Anthony. Slowly, they began to applaud.

Anthony turned to Jackie. “Ma…I’m sorry…”

“Anthony, I already know,” Jackie said. “You are always my son and I’m proud of you. You have to face the truth sooner or later. Now get back to work.”

***

Walking away from Richard’s work building, Anne was waiting for a cab.

A car drove by and stopped before her.

The window rolled down.

It was her father, Richard Neville.

“Get in,” he said and unlocked the door.

She was unsure at first, but then decided to follow her father’s orders.

She got into the car and they drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!
> 
> Can you guess what Anthony has said to Richard?
> 
> One more chapter to go!
> 
> PS Would like a "love" scene in the next chapter?


	23. Anne is my girlfriend! Part 3 (aka When Richard kissed Anne)

“Where have you been?” Richard Neville asked his younger daughter in a restaurant. The waiter came with spaghetti with meatball, Anne’s usual favorite.

Anne looked at her father. She tried to answer him, but the words couldn’t come out. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but she tried hard to hold them back. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly.

Richard Neville never liked to see people cry. From his perspective, crying can never get people anywhere; crying is merely a sign of pathetic weakness. However, this time, he did not rebuke his daughter like he would’ve in the past.

“You’re waitressing,” he said.

Wiping her tears, Anne looked at her father in surprise. “How did you know?”

“I saw you,” he told her. “For a second, I couldn’t believe it.”

“It’s a job, Dad,” Anne said quietly. “Not a very well-paid job, but it’s still a job.”

“And you did great,” Richard Neville complimented. “I’m proud of you.”

That was truly shocking for Anne to hear.

“Veronica came by and gave me the contact information of her boss,” Anne said, and showing the business card to her father. “She told me that he needs a legal assistant. If things do work out, I can work there. Eventually, I’m going back to college and finish my degree.”

Richard Neville nodded. “I know him. He’s a great attorney. He’d be great to work for.” He paused and then asked, “Why didn’t you come home?”

Anne shrugged. “You wouldn’t welcome me.”

“What happened in London?”

Anne inhaled deeply and told him, “Margaret Anjou…she messed up with BBC. It’s long and complicated and I don’t understand half of it. All I know is that I’m not getting the money from BBC and from the publisher as I should. I guess…Margaret Anjou made some decisions without telling me. She was making these decisions based on the fact that I’m marrying her son. Edouard died before we could get married, and she died soon after…”

“Annie,” Richard Neville said while taking her hand. “You should know that no matter what happens, our door is always open to you. We’re family and we’re here for you.”

“But I screwed up—“

“We all have,” Richard Neville said. “You think I’ve been a perfect man all my life? You learn from your mistake. You grow from your mistake. Where are you living now?”

“I’m staying with Richard.”

“Richard York?”

Anne nodded.

“Are you with him?”

“What?”

“Are you seeing him?”

Anne didn’t answer; and Richard Neville took it as “no”.

“Annie, come home,” Richard Neville said. “I’ll make some calls and you can start at your new job. You are only causing Richard more trouble if you’re staying at his place.”

***

Richard York was discharged from the hospital. His heart system was fine.

He could not believe how things actually turned out.

Anthony had always been girls’ best friend; and now he knew why.

But that was a relief.

All he wanted now was to go home and have a talk with Anne.

Before he could head home, his cell phone rang. It was George.

“Hey, thought to let you know,” he told Richard. “Anne has moved out from your place.”

“What?!”

“Whoa, bro!” George exclaimed. “Don’t have another heart attack—“

“What happened?”

“Anne’s father Richard Neville is taking her home,” George informed him. “He’s grateful that you have taken her in, but he does not want her to cause you any more trouble.”

“But is she staying in town?”

“Unlikely,” George said. “A friend of hers is helping her getting a job as a legal assistant. That legal firm is relocating to Chicago. You know Richard Neville got his BA at University of Chicago right? I think he wants Anne to finish her bachelor’s degree there.”

Richard hung up.

He ran into his car and sped all the way to Richard Neville’s house. He could care less about the speeding cameras or the police cars.

He wanted to go find Anne.

He had let her go in the past.

But not this time.

He drove to Richard Neville’s house.

There was no one home.

The door was locked.

He sat at the doorsteps, and waited.

Anne only had a suitcase when he first found her at the garbage disposal. If she were to move out, it’d be easy like 1, 2, and 3.

He waited, and waited, and waited.

The sun was going down.

He took out his cell phone and wondered if he should call Isabel. He needed to find a way to talk to Anne.

A voicemail.

He listened; and it was from Anne.

_Hi Richard, it’s Anne calling using my Dad’s cell phone. My father and I, we talked. I feel much better now and I’m glad that I’ve talked to him. He is helping me like any father would do for his daughter. I’m going to get a new job and go finish my degree. I have caused you enough problems, and maybe it’s time for me to go. Richard, this is incredibly hard for me. You…you are the greatest guy I’ve met. I remember that day where we first met, at the elevator. At the time, something hits me. It isn’t just any crush. It was like…I know how crazy this sounds…but it was like reuniting with a soulmate long lost in the past. I think if there were reincarnation, we’re probably were together in the past. I don’t know…what am I saying? I guess the truth is…it’s always been you Richard. All these years, I loved you and there never was anyone else. But the fate has worked against us. Maybe it was just never meant to be. I need to finish my college degree and get a stable job. If we are indeed soulmates, who knows? Maybe we will find each other again. If not, I wish you the best and hope that you will find the woman who will love you as much as you love her. Okay, that’s all I’ve said…and I have to go. I have to go home._

And that was it.

He felt so light.

Using all his strength, he pulled himself up.

He looked at his phone again, and then dialed Richard Neville’s number.

And it was his voicemail.

Now it was his turn.

His voice could barely come out. “Hey Anne, it’s Richard. I got your message. George had told me that you are moving out, and I’m happy to hear that you are getting your life back together. I remember the day we first met as well. I was an idiot, and I took your affection for granted. I still remember how you were buying me croissants each morning, and I saw how heartbroken you were when I stopped coming to that café just to avoid you. Like I said, I was an idiot. And I have always been an idiot, but hopefully not today. I don’t know about reincarnations or soulmate, but I know one thing—it’s that I love you. I love you, Anne. Before you went to London, I’ve told you that home is where the heart is. At the time, I was hoping that you can see me as your home. You left for London, but you’ve come back. Having you back in my life is the greatest thing ever happened to me. Anne, please stay. Don’t go. I can help you with your college plan. I can help you with your tuition. Please stay…I love you…and I’m your home.”

He was choking on his words.

Before he could say anything more, he ran out of time. Voicemail could only give him certain amount of time.

Richard went back to his car and drove back to his place.

***

He was standing before his apartment building.

He couldn’t go in there.

He didn’t want to come home knowing that Anne would not be there.

He took out his phone and dialed Richard Neville’s number again, just to see if Anne went home.

Again, it was Richard Neville’s voicemail.

“Hey Anne, it’s Richard. Are you home now—“

“I’m home,” a voice said behind him.

Richard abruptly turned, and found Anne standing right before him.

“You told me home is where the heart is, and I’ve followed my heart,” Anne began as she walked closer to him. “And my heart guided me here—“

Before she could finish, Richard rushed to her; pulled her to him; cupper her face in his hand; and kissed her deeply on the lips.

He kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her.

And Anne kissed him back.

Their kiss was hot and passionate. It was so hot that flames flared from their love and consumed their body. Still, they refused to let go of each other.

The next morning, firefighters and policemen came and found ashes on the ground with two hearts glued together. No matter how hard the medical examiners tried, the hearts refused to be separated from each other…

_“Wait what?” Ned stood. “Dad, you are making this up!”_

_“Oh right,” Richard changed his words. “I got a little carried away. No, there was no flame. But that is the first time I kissed your mother.”_

_“Was I conceived that night?”_

_“No!”_

_“What did you do after the kiss?” Ned asked._

_“We went out to see a movie and had a good day,” Richard said with a straight face. “But the point is that I kissed your mother that night. It was about ten years after knowing her. Since then each time we kiss it always have a special meaning, like when we went out on our first date…_

(Richard and Anne kissed after coming home from dinner.)

_…when we got engaged…_

(Slipping a ring on Anne’s finger, Richard kissed her and held her in his arms.)

_…when we got married…_

(Lifting her veil, Richard kissed his bride, Mrs. Anne Neville York.)

_…when your mother got her job as news anchor…_

(After Anne got the offer, she jumped up and down in excitement. She flew to Richard and kissed him.)

_…when we found out that you are coming along…_

(At the clinic, with their fingers intertwined, Richard and Anne kissed after seeing their unborn baby for the first time.)

_…when you finally joined us…_

(In the hospital, the nurse handed the new baby to Anne. Holding her new born son, Anne looked at Richard with a mix of emotions. Richard kissed her and then his son, whom they named Edward; Ned for short.)

_…and on every single day when we appreciate the fact that we are together, happily and healthy._

(Anne was giving Richard and Ned a kiss before heading to work.)

***

“So there you go, Ned,” Richard said. “It was a long time after knowing your mother when I realized how much I love her and kissed her.”

“Ten years,” Ned muttered. “And I kissed Catalina after knowing her for only ten days.”

“And as you see, love and marriage is not as simple as you think.”

“But still, you are plenty of times regretting that you hadn’t kissed her sooner,” Ned pointed out.

“But you’d never know for sure about your feelings until you missed it,” Richard explained. Then his phone rang. He went to answer it and then went back to his son.

“It’s Mom, right?” Ned smirked. “Her car got tolled again?”

“Ned, be nice,” Richard said. “But yes, and I need to pick her up.”

“You are not going to tell her what happened, are you?” Ned asked.

“I have to,” Richard said. “She’s your mother and she should know.”

“But then I’m going to end up telling her what you’ve told me about the first time you’ve kissed,” Ned said. “You know Mom, and she’s going to give us her version of the story. She will go on, and on, and on, and on…”

The two looked at each other and went, “Let’s not do that!”

“Stay home and don’t cause any trouble,” Richard instructed his son. “Clean up the living room and we can then put this all behind us.”

***

After his father left, Ned went to the living room and began to wipe the picture frames.

There was a picture of his Mom and Dad together at the park; that was their engagement photo.

Next to it was a picture of their wedding.

Then a picture of his mother, heavily pregnant, with his Dad supporting her back.

A picture of his mother holding him at the hospital.

A picture of him with his parents on his first birthday.

A picture of him hugging his mother on his first day to school.

But the picture that got his attention to most was the one in the center.

It was taken some time ago.

It was him, Mom, and Dad at a Halloween party, dressing up as three mice; each was holding a gigantic cookie.

Now he knew what it meant.

They were just ordinary people living in a happy life.

And the best thing—they have each other.

Just like a mouse is happy with its cookie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this is the story when Richard kissed Anne!
> 
> This fic is based on the fairy tale, Mother Hulda from Grimm's Fairy Tale. Here, Jackie River (or Jacquetta of River) is Mother Huda. In the original tale, two sisters with very different personality worked for her. One sister was good and the other was bad. The good sister left Mother Hulda's place in glitter gold as a reward while the lazy sister left with oils covering her from head to toe as a punishment. In the fic, Anne worked for Jackie. Initially, she was lazy and arrogant (like the lazy sister) and was kicked out with coffee covering her from head to toe. Jackie words to her "this is your paycheck" is what Mother Hulda said to the lazy sister after she was covered in oil. After she was retrained, Anne changed and went back to Jackie's place and worked hard. This time she walked out in gold - in terms of personal growth and understanding her true love.
> 
> I hope you like this fic.
> 
> Cheers!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments please!
> 
> I don't know but I just love writing modern AUs. But I hope this is funny and entertaining for you as well.
> 
> I ship Richard x Anne more than any historical OTPs for some reason. I guess Aneurin Barnard is to blame.


End file.
